A review by fiona_245
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wonderful book, nice prose, and extremely reflective - especially in child-rearing and building a family. Although it was quite difficult for me to push through, with constant searching for word meanings on the dictionary, and getting lost in the prose, I still managed to digest the message and the emotions and thoughts Eva dealt with in her suffering.

  • It really did stick to my mind that you could be good parents but you have a child who'd turn out bad.
  • There's a lot more reasons not to bear a child other than expecting he/she will turn out to be a killer.
  • Motherhood is a real work. I can't just judge easily how a parent is handling his/her child, though if it's extreme enough, like straight out torturing a child then 'course I'll judge him/her.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings