Our choice for December 2011 is We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. In this gripping novel of motherhood gone awry, Shriver approaches the tragedy of a high-school massacre from the point of view of the killer’s mother. 
In letters written to the boy’s father, mother Eva probes the upbringing of this more-than-difficult child and reveals herself to have been the reluctant mother of an unsavory son. As the schisms in her family unfold, we draw closer to an unexpected climax that holds breathtaking surprises and its own hard-won redemption. In Eva, Shriver has created a narrator who is touching, sad, funny, and reflective. A spellbinding read, We Need to Talk About Kevin is as original as it is timely.
Discussion Questions
- Was Kevin born wicked? Or is his cold heart the inevitable consequence of an unaffectionate mother?
- Do you completely trust Eva’s version of events? Is she exaggerating to make herself less blameworthy?
- Did Kevin inflict Celia’s eye wound?
- Should Eva and Franklin ever have had children?
- Did Eva’s rejection of Kevin start from the moment he refused her breast?
- Was there something wrong with Eva?
- Did you identify with Franklin’s parental instincts or did you think him a fool?
- Despite their obvious antagonism, did Kevin and Eva share traits?
- What did you think of the format of the novel?
- Do you think Eva was criminally negligent?
- How did the author use Eva’s Armenian heritage in the context of the story?
- What statement is the author making about violence in schools, and shootings in particular?
- What did you make of Kevin’s ‘gift’ at the end of the book?
- Eva thinks of herself as a bad mother, was she one?
- Would you recommend this book to someone pregnant or a young couple considering children?
Individual Ratings
DKB Rating 
