$9.99 is my top limit for Kindle books, unless they
are books by Margaret Atwood, Hilary Mantel, or GRR Martin. Not that I worry
too much about overspending on that last one. I'll probably die before his next
Game of Thrones book comes out. In the world to come, the books are free, and
you have all the time you need to whittle your TBR stack down to size.
I exceeded
this self-imposed limit to buy We Need to
Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I have a library copy, but I would have to race
through it, putting aside all other reading, to finish it before my renewals
are used up. I’m willing to do that for quick reads, cozy mysteries by favorite
writers, and lighter material, but not with this book. This is not a story to
race through. The protagonist/narrator is so astringent, and the writing so
masterful, I want to savor it slowly in
small doses, spread over time. Shriver is magnificent.
The book started so slowly that I almost returned
it unfinished, but then something happened to me while I was reading, and I was
hooked. This is a book I will read more than once. It is dark, dark, dark. So
is the best chocolate. The book was written in response to the school shootings
that shock us out of our complacency and belief that we know our children. The
childless Shriver dares to address the question of whether a child can be born
evil (Bad Seed) or becomes that way because of inadequate parenting, mostly on
the part of the mother. Nature or nurture? Neither? Both? Shriver doesn't try
to answer the questions she raises. That task is left for the reader. I’m
toying with the idea of bringing this novel to my book club, but I’m afraid it
might end in a shouting match between the mothers and the childless members.
Because I haven’t finished the book or seen the
movie, I’m not sure whether Eva is reliable or unreliable as the narrator. She
appears to be honest, but how honest can a mother be when her child has
committed such horrific acts? Surely there must be some self-serving elements
in her account of the events leading up to that Thursday.
I have the film from Netflix sitting on my desk.
Tilda Swinton makes me swoon, but I was going to put off watching it until I’d
read the book. I changed my mind. Now I’m going to watch it before finishing
the book. Inconsiderate reviewers have already ruined any element of surprise
by not labeling their spoiler reviews. Shriver’s writing doesn’t depend on
shocking actions but craft and careful character building to achieve the effect
she wants. It’s not what happens, but
how the story is told that makes this
book important.
If you like The
Almost Moon by Sebold, I think you will like Kevin, although Moon was
a comedy and Kevin is pure horror. They both challenge the reader
to go beyond the initial reaction and search out what the writer is attempting
to accomplish and ponder your own reaction. The number of reviews that hate
both these books would indicate limited success on the authors’ parts, but I
love them both.
