We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

This was recommended to me by faithful blog reader, Karen. Thanks, Karen!

Here's what she wrote when she recommended it:

"A novel I recently read that was disturbing, but so well-written and intriguing that I couldn't put down is We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. It is not the kind of book I would normally read, but it was very good. It's not a happy book, though by any means."

That pretty much sums up the book.

It's written from the perspective of Eva, a mother who never really wanted to be a mother. Her fifteen-year-old son, Kevin, shoots seven of his classmates, plus a teacher and a cafeteria worker, and is currently in prison. Eva writes a series of letters to her estranged husband in which she tries to figure out what made Kevin do this. Was it because she never really liked Kevin that he turned out like this? Or was it because Kevin was such an unlikable kid that Eva never really liked him?

Disturbing, very well-written, dark, disgusting in parts...and I could not put it down.

Warning to my junior readers: this book contains mature, adult content!