lionel shriver we need to talk about kevin

Read about Kevin yourself, and see what you think. The film kept the conversation about Kevin going many years after the book's release.Įva didn't talk about Kevin before the incident that changed their lives, and there's no way for her to change what happened, but maybe by talking about Kevin after the fact, she can prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. Reilley ( Chicago) as Eva's pushover of a husband, Franklin, the film was a hit at Cannes and nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or prize. Also starring Ezra Miller ( The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as the sadistic teen Kevin, and John C. The protagonist of the story is so strong (and polarizing) that she could really only be played by actress Tilda Swinton in the 2011 film adaption of We Need to Talk about Kevin.

And Eva Khatchadourian's is one of the strongest. Now known as the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction, the prize was founded to celebrate women's voices in fiction. Not only did she have a #1 bestseller to flaunt in that agent's face, but the book also won the 2005 Orange Prize for fiction. This pushback made Shriver want to get her story out there even more (and fire her agent). Her agent didn't think anyone would want to read about the horrible things Kevin does worse, there was fear that the book would even inspire copycat killings ( source). On top of that, Shriver finished the novel after the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, a time when the last thing anyone wanted to read about was school shootings.

It's the fictional story of Eva Khatchadourian, a woman whose son, Kevin, commits a terrible crime, and she is trying to come to terms with it… and decide where to place the blame for her son's action.Ī book about school violence set in a time when school shootings were rampant across the United States pretty much has CONTROVERSY stamped on the cover in big red letters. Lionel Shriver-and yes, that is her real name ( or is it?)-published We Need to Talk About Kevinin 2003. After any of those-and especially the last one-you'll definitely need to talk.

No, you only hear these four words when your boss wants to demote you, or your best friend wants to admit he or she is on the campaign trail for Deez Nuts, or your spouse wants to tell you that your child just killed someone. No one says this if you're getting a raise or going on a family vacation. The discussion that follows that phrase is almost guaranteed not to be easy.

'We need to talk,' isn't a phrase you want to hear from anyone, whether it's a parent, a partner, or your boss.

Lionel shriver we need to talk about kevin