Yeah, I think that is indeed the central question of the book.
Legolas Send a noteboard - 26/07/2011 10:46:40 PM
Would Kevin have been different with a different mother? That is the crux of the tragedy, to me, and it makes the book as great as it is, because there is no right answer here.
Agreed.
Personally, I found a great deal of common ground with Eva. She wasn't sure if she wanted a kid to begin with, and her feelings about her son seemed instinctual- that he was bad. There were times when she really, truly tried to connect with him and he spat it back in her face. The really sad part was that Kevin respected her for her distance, and seemed to loathe his own father who worked so hard to build a relationship with him.
Yeah... that last bit is one of the points where I wonder how skewed Eva's take on things is, though. Are Kevin's feelings about his father really as unambiguously scornful and spiteful as she sees them?
Eva's certainly a memorable character, a mother who isn't merely flawed (and hence realistic), but breaks some rather strong taboos.
Eva's character only bothers me when she refuses to pick up her life after Thursday. I don't know how much that little girl's family ruined her financially- I take it it was an OJ-type situation, where she wouldn't be able to make any money without it all going to the family? Huh, even though I thought she won the civil suit... Anyway, the point is, Eva has to move on from this point. I don't mean move on from Kevin- I think their budding relationship is, rightfully, a very important thing in her new life- but the loss and tragedy and depression. She has to straighten her back and show the world that this hasn't beaten her down.
It's made clear enough that her financial ruin is at least to some extent self-inflicted, some kind of penance she inflicts on herself. She certainly could've acted differently during that trial if she'd really wanted to win it.
The ending of the book, for better or for worse, does seem to indicate that she'll move on...
I honestly should've seen the first twist coming, but this is one book I didn't spoil too much for myself. Even though I thumbed through a page that mentioned Celia and crossbow bolts, I didn't let myself think about what could be happening. But it did occur to me at one point that Franklin wouldn't have taken Celia away from Eva. It still hit me pretty hard, though, the way Kevin so carelessly offed his sister and father. Even I didn't see that much evil in him.
I wasn't entirely certain of it beforehand, it was more that at times I got strong suspicions in that direction, then at other times it seemed less likely. There's a line somewhere when she's talking of preparing for divorce, and how she figures Franklin will get custody of Kevin, "but I didn't know you would get Celia too", or some such. That kind of thing was misleading enough to make me doubt again.
But yeah, there are a good number of hints about it - but the horror of it, particularly of Celia's murder, still hit me hard.
The second twist, though, for me at least, was that Eva really does love her son. I think that's what made it so much less depressing, that through all of this, the two of them can finally find common ground on which to build a relationship.
Yes, that was the second twist I was thinking of too, but I don't know if that makes it less depressing for me. Like I tried to explain in the review without spoiling, the short succession of Celia's and Franklin's murders, and then - two years in the future - that moment between Eva and Kevin, that really wreaks havoc on the reader's emotions. The former somehow makes Kevin a far bigger monster than the school shooting did, then the latter suddenly starts to redeem him.
I'm not generally hawkish on punishments for crimes, but even I balked at how easily Eva seemed ready to forgive and forget, and found myself abhorred by the thought of Kevin walking free again.
But that wondering if things could've been different... that almost kept me awake after I read it. How much of Kevin was a product of his environment, and how much innate? This book really raised some interesting questions about nature and nature and I'm really freakin' glad I read it.
Definitely, me too.
Lionel Shriver - We Need To Talk About Kevin
- 07/07/2011 08:35:32 PM
1136 Views
Which are the plot twists you are thinking about? *major spoilers*
- 07/07/2011 09:30:56 PM
658 Views
This question you asked says it all- *spoilerific*
- 26/07/2011 05:17:41 PM
731 Views
Yeah, I think that is indeed the central question of the book.
- 26/07/2011 10:46:40 PM
736 Views