Completed September 2022
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
My favourite books are the ones that make me suffer. Is that masochistic? Possibly. Either way, We Need to Talk About Kevin firmly falls into that category. And it might just be my favourite this year.
From the opening pages it became clear that the novel was not going to be an easy ride, which I appreciated. Our narrator, Eva, writes in a way which is complex and challenging – there were a good few times I had to reread a sentence, or even pick up a dictionary. But this is necessary in order to craft her perspective, which is about as complicated as it gets. This is the main thing I loved about Eva – nothing about her is straightforward, which she seems just as aware of as we are. This was compounded by the emerging realisation that her viewpoint was less than reliable, another aspect she acknowledges at some stages (but not others, requiring the acute perception of the reader as we go).
This insight into her mind was so fascinating for me, especially when it came to making decisions and the twisted logic that got her there. It was raw, honest and painfully relatable. It is such a terrifying proposition that such simple choices, which were understandable even if difficult to stomach, could result in tragedy.
Despite this, there is the constant question of where blame – and therefore, empathy – lies. Eva is relatable, sure, but she's also unreliable. And some of her actions are unforgivable... right? This is the question we are faced with when Kevin poses one impossible dilemma after another. Nature versus nurture is an age old question but I truly believe We Need to Talk About Kevin breathes fresh life into the debate. Mostly due to inherent complexity and ambiguity. I don't think I'd have enjoyed its unravelling nearly as much if there was a definite answer posed at any point, and I relished the swinging continuum as Kevin grew.
The push and pull between Eva and Kevin became the crux of the book, a constantly writhing phenomenon which became ever more contorted as the story progressed. Introduced immediately as polar opposites, it became clear that just as much as they contradict each other, their flaws are mirrored. In particular each of their hamartias is their existential longing for action. Faced with the void, they are both propositioned with the choice of do or do not, and both are inextricably drawn towards the former. They both turn the page. For Kevin, this results in him ending life, for Eva, creating it. Both of which unavoidably culminate in disaster.
“I was mortified by the prospect of becoming hopelessly trapped in someone else's story.”