We read the book for book club a couple of months ago. We need to talk about kevin i havent read the book, but i watched the movie last night. The discussion post the book was really interesting with lots of differing opinions on the nature nurture debate. Eva never really wanted to be a motherand certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a muchadored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. If you are already a parent, this book will make you count your blessings but if you have yet to become one, bewarethis book will scare the hell out of you and could quite possibly reduce your eggsperm supply just by reading it. Please use this topic to discuss the february 2012 book of the month, we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver. We need to talk about kevin symbols, allegory and motifs. What do we need to talk about when we talk about kevin. Mar 12, 2020 we need to talk about kevin is a gripping emotional look at a story that is all too often looked over. He only had a fiveminute set but he discovered he really could earn a living from making people laugh.
In this novel we are given letters dripping with regret, written by kevins mother eva to her estranged husband. We need to talk about kevin is a 2003 novel by lionel shriver, published by serpents tail, about a fictional school massacre. Kevin didnt want to put all this work into this massacre and have franklin put a hand on his knee and say i know you didnt mean this and you didnt know what you were doing and well get you the help you need. In we need to talk about kevin, shriver has outdone herself in creating a monster. Discussion of we need to talk about kevin online book clubs. We need to talk about kevin is a searing and complex look at the reasons couples decide to have children, the parentchild relationship, marriage, and the limits of love and loyalty. Much as parents are expected to love their children unconditionally, sometimes the kids dont turn out wellor, more shamefully, their parents dont really like them.
Oct 26, 2011 we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver first published. We need to talk about kevin and his mother unbound. In some ways, i could relate to eva the fear that shed made a. You may have been like me, for many years avoiding reading this novel by lionel shriver. Jan 20, 2012 director lynne ramsays new film, we need to talk about kevin, returns again and again to phillipss song as it examines the relationship between eva khatchadourian tilda swinton and her son. But it should have been more than a metaphor it should have been about life and. Reading these comments has helped me understand the movie a bit better. We need to talk about kevin is a literary discussion about america, our culture, our values, our strengths and our flaws. We need to talk about kevin is about a traumatized mother, eva tilda swinton, before and after her sociopath son perpetrates a highschool atrocity. Full disclosure we need to talk about kevin is disturbing.
Nov 15, 2003 we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver 400pp, counterpoint press. In april 1999, drew barrymore had never been kissed, cher told everyone to believe, and two kids shot up a high school in columbine, colorado. This movie left me with a feeling so weird i didnt even have the words to describe. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver february. Kevin did everything he was accuesed of and the dad was a douche. Lionel shriver joins james naughtie and a studio audience to discuss her book we need to talk about kevin, a novel about an unloved son who grows up to. May 01, 2003 when kevin is born, her lack of instantaneous maternal love is exacerbated by kevins rejection of her breast.
We need to talk about kevin serpents tail classics by. We need to talk about kevin questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on. Lionel shriver on we need to talk about kevin books the. May 03, 2018 we need to talk about kevin is about a traumatized mother, eva tilda swinton, before and after her sociopath son perpetrates a highschool atrocity. I read the book when it came out, then reread it for. We need to talk about kevin, actor tilda swinton duration.
On a deeper level, the novel is about a mothers love and if a mothers love can influence a persons upbringing. It is chilling and terrifying and discusses themes that are difficult to talk about. The moms in my book club were totally freaked out by it but we told them that they would already know if they had a kevin on their hands. It is giving little away to say that we need to talk about kevinrelates the aftermath of and lead up to a. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver, paperback. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver 18aug2011 paperback.
We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver is the story of a mother coping with the reality that her son committed a school massacre. The book is titled, we need to talk about kevin but we never do, not really. Movie tiein edition by lionel shriver eva never really wanted to be a mother and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a muchadored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. We know all about the killer, and the killed, but always very little about the killers family, and the effect it has on them. We need to talk about kevin questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on we need to talk. Ive had this book on my shelf for a while, and when a booktuber i follow selected it as the january pick for her online book club, i thought id read along. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver mount prospect. Where we need to talk about kevin goes awry is kevin himself, whose domestic interactions with his mother mainly involve him giving the stanley kubrick glower from the shining and full metal jacket. Bookclub, lionel shriver we need to talk about kevin bbc radio 4. For those who saw miller play another dissociative teen in afterschool, its deja vu.
Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. I also found in how eva, the mothers character was drawn it was only sufficient to prop the drama rather than really explore and delve into the horror which led to kevins actions. An audience of readers found plenty to discuss in lionel shrivers we need to talk about kevin, says john mullan. This post reveals important plot details about the book we need to talk about kevin its too soon after jared lee loughners massacre in arizona to predict how our social and. Were her motives for having a baby entirely selfish.
What are the most important issues that need to be discussed. Its important to book and film that kevin be a monster from the getgo, but seeing that. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver harper perennial, paperback, 9780062119049, november 2011, 432pp.
When tragedy strikes, can you just close the book and be done with it. An intelligentlywritten book, brimming with literary and cultural references, and psychological insights. We need to talk about kevin is a gripping emotional look at a story that is all too often looked over. If you have a child and you dont want to, heshe might become a mass murderer so better mind your own business and stay childless. Nonmaternal, ambivalent mothers are one of the last taboos and eva is a prime example.
Lionel shrivers 2003 bestseller, we need to talk about kevin, chronicles a mother coming to terms with the heinous massacre her son committed in an upstate new york high school. What age group is appropriate, and is the vocabulary difficult, but is it worth it build your vocab. Shriver won the prestigious orange prize in 2005, and the book was adapted to screen in 2011. In this novel we are given letters dripping with regret, written by kevin s mother eva to her estranged husband. Apr 14, 2003 we need to talk about kevin is a cautionary tale about motherhood and should be read before one decides to take the big step. Aged 17, kevin bridges walked on stage for the first time and brought the house down. A long process of development and financing began in 2005, with filming commencing in april 2010. Buy we need to talk about kevin main by lionel shriver isbn.
With the international release of the much anticipated film of we need to talk about kevin in october, heres another chance to catch the world book club in which harriett gilbert and a studio. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver books. If you are already a parent, this book will make you count your bla. Leftists argued that the proliferation of guns afforded damaged young minds easy access to trenchcoatfilling arsenals, while on the right, cultural critics fingered explicit violence in television, video games, movies, and music, which. But in a larger sense, we need to talk about kevin uses this extreme case to breach a dirty little secret about family life.
Lionel shriver speaks to john mullan about her novel we need to talk about kevin and takes questions. The horrific event, the build up and impactful ending were enough to talk about in itself. He now gets eva all to himself and doesnt have to deal with franklin pandering to the boy that he thought kevin was. The impossible question of we need to talk about kevin. The baby showsor she seesplenty of early signs that he is different. A few nights ago, i watched the 2011 movie we need to talk about kevin. The format is a series of letters written by eva khatchadourian to her absent husband, franklin, which are a sort of analytical reminiscence about their lives before the arrival of their. Audiobooks matching keywords we need to talk about kevin. A mothers harrowing portrait of a family and a child that kills. We need to talk about kevin is a 2011 psychological thriller directed by lynne ramsay, and adapted from lionel shrivers novel of the same title. The guy, a blond named devin that just transferred from london, offers kevin his biology book and asks him to show him to biology class. Or is kevin entirely different from these reallife killers.
May 10, 2012 we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver harper perennial, paperback, 9780062119049, november 2011, 432pp. We need to talk about kevin essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver my rating. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killers mother, eva khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son kevin and the murders he committed, as told in a series of letters from eva to her.
Reading guide for we need to talk about kevin by lionel. The questions in this resource may be used to lead a. We need to talk about kevin feels like a daring art installation, filled with the obvious color red as a metaphor. The we need to talk about kevin community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Readers questions about we need to talk about kevin. Mar 23, 2019 the guy, a blond named devin that just transferred from london, offers kevin his biology book and asks him to show him to biology class. Part of the success of we need to talk about kevin is that it has proved peculiarly discutable. Nov 19, 2018 we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver my rating. Shriver strives to push the reader beyond the blame game to admit that there are deeper implications in our lives and culture than who we can sue.
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of we need to talk about. The book is also written from the perspective of her sending the letters after the school massacre so it could skewer how their relationship was prior to that point. Part of the success of we need to talk about kevin is that it has proved. In the book, franklin is described as blond, handsome and fit. But i still have this one questionwhat is this trial that eva went through where she lost her house etc. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver first published.
Are there similarities between the fictional kevin and reallife mass shooters. Like shrivers charged and incisive later novels, including so much for that and the postbirthday world, we need to talk about kevin is a piercing, unforgettable, and penetrating exploration of violence, family ties, and responsibility, a book that the boston globe describes as sometimes searing. We need to talk about kevin is the 8th novel by lionel shriver. My headcanon is betty and veronica got drunk at the club and made out on the dance floor. He refuses to talk until hes three or toilet train until hes sixa matter of choice, not ability. Like shrivers charged and incisive laternovels, including so much for that and the postbirthday world, we need to talk about kevin isa piercing, unforgettable, and penetrating exploration of violence, familyties, and responsibility, a book that the boston globe describes assometimes searing. We need to talk about kevin lionel shriver paperback. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book. We need to talk about kevin lionel shriver christina. We need to talk about kevin is a cautionary tale about motherhood and should be read before one decides to take the big step.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. We need to talk about kevin was painful to readlisten to. Apr 14, 2003 we need to talk about kevin is a 2003 novel by lionel shriver, published by serpents tail, about a fictional school massacre. We need to talk about kevin lionel shriver christina mcdonald. Throughout 2019 we will be reading and discussing some of the most disturbing books of all time.