Published: 2011
Pages: 500
Genre: Fiction
I have really mixed feelings about this book. I remember wanting to read it when it came out last year, but forgot about it until the movie version was just released. I prefer to read the book before I see the movie, so I decided to finally pick this one up.
We Need to Talk About Kevin is written from his mother, Eva's, point of view. She is writing letters to her estranged husband recounting a horrible event that their son Kevin was responsible for that she initially only refers to as Thursday (in italics). Slowly, the events are unfolded until we have the full scope of horrors that unfolded at Kevin's school on Thursday.
And I do mean S.L.O.W.L.Y. Eva starts alllll the way back to her pregnancy with Kevin and recounts his entire life. This book drags and drags and drags for the first 300-400 pages. I almost put it down because it seemed to be going nowhere. However, if you can stick it out, I think it's highly worth finishing. The last part of the book was absolutely horrifying. I can't give away much without completely ruining the book for you, but I can tell you that this isn't a typical school shooting story that we've all heard over and over since Columbine.
For one, Kevin is one of those kids that is terrifying. I don't have children, but I've heard stories (although rare) of people who have or adopt kids who are just pure sociopaths. They torture their siblings, they set their house on fire, etc. and have zero remorse. He's not the goth kid who writes heavy metal lyrics in his notebook at school. He's the silent, smart type who has almost NO distinct personality and no connection to anyone. The ones you should really be scared of.
If you want to read a slow burning, chilling book, try this one. The ending is worth is and will stick with you for days.
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