A review by amy_reads91
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Intense and uncomfortable, in the best and most gripping kind of way. I really enjoyed the style through the letters from Eva to her husband throughout, and you can really feel every emotion, frustration, guilt and confusing feeling along with her. I found it really thought-provoking in so many ways, not just from her view in exploring her journey through motherhood and own responsibility - but from the wider exploration of parenthood as a whole, through how her husband views Kevin and responds to her. The uncomfortable question of how much responsibility can really be placed on Kevin, and joining in the guilt of disliking/blaming a child (the supposed "innocent") - or joining her in looking for some kind of redeeming feature to have empathy or understanding for him. 

Although it's clear from the start that it's building up to Kevin being a murderer, the twist when Eva gets back to the house, completely took me by surprise. And made the book suddenly even more haunting, with the fact she was writing the letters

It's a book that I'll definitely be thinking about for a while.