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hellokatya's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
my first introduction to this story was through the film. somehow, i had come across it in relation to ezra miller - more true to character than we’d originally thought! - and was immediately interested. unfortunate to report, i was not a fan. however, upon finding out this was a novel first, through a sale at a book store, i was rekindled in my interest: hoping it would deliver better.
the movie took on the same layout as the book where it is going between two timelines, i thought it ruined the potential that the story could’ve had, and i felt a bit similarly reading it. it is revealed in the blurb on the back of the book that kevin is a school shooter and murdered people, leaving his mother to deal with the fallout, but throughout the book it is hinted at, not fully acknowledged or confirmed until the very end where she, in great detail, describes her assumptions of how thursday went down.
when i first began reading this, i was - and still am - in the throes of a reading slump. this was one i really looked forward to and counted on to bring me out of it; it did in smaller ways than anticipated.
- i absolutely loved the way the author writes. it is so eloquent and well spoken, sounds extremely educated, but it came to feel condescending in the end - and maybe that was purposeful but i just could not wait for it to be over with. this book did take me a bit to finish (just over two weeks) and i was dragging my way through it. in some other reviews i’ve read on storygraph, people were also taken aback by this. no real person talks like that. nonetheless, the writing intrigued me and i wanted so badly to finish it. it was just a bit of a drag and felt pretentious at times
- the “letters” do not feel like letters to someone at all. they’re more diary entries, or reliving memories. they are not cohesive with the way the book is formatted and it was bothersome for me. though, one of my main points with perks of being a wallflower, was that the letters felt too impersonal and left far too much out for me to really be unconditionally in the story.
- towards the end, i was contemplating whether i think eva is an unreliable narrator and if her accounts of kevin’s behavior and nature are to be trusted, or if they’re tinged red with fury and resentment. are children truly born evil? was he toying with her for so long from such a young age or was he really a lost boy trying to get through to his mother?
- it almost made me begin to empathize with him and i loathed it
overall, i do not think i would recommend this book, as it is far too rich and i began skimming ~70% way through just to have it over with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Classism
capsandclauses's review against another edition
2.5
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a dark, disturbing novel about a mother trying to reconcile her lack of maternity with her sons' actions after a school shooting. It is written in epistolary form via letters from Eva the heroine to her husband.
This is one of those books that was probably good, but my enjoyment of it was massively affected by the fact that I was forced to read it, read academic articles about it and write an essay on it for university. There is no going back after that.
Objectively, it had brilliant writing:
"But since we've been separated, I may most miss coming home to deliver the narrative curiosities of my day, the way a cat might lay mice at your feet: the small, humble offerings that couples proffer after foraging in separate backyards."
“In a country that doesn't discriminate between fame and infamy, the latter presents itself as plainly more achievable.”
It also had really detailed social commentary.
But MAN do I hate reading books for school.
This is one of those books that was probably good, but my enjoyment of it was massively affected by the fact that I was forced to read it, read academic articles about it and write an essay on it for university. There is no going back after that.
Objectively, it had brilliant writing:
"But since we've been separated, I may most miss coming home to deliver the narrative curiosities of my day, the way a cat might lay mice at your feet: the small, humble offerings that couples proffer after foraging in separate backyards."
“In a country that doesn't discriminate between fame and infamy, the latter presents itself as plainly more achievable.”
It also had really detailed social commentary.
But MAN do I hate reading books for school.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
dale1997's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Excrement, and Mass/school shootings