We Need to Talk About Kevin
Encyclopedia
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel
by Lionel Shriver
, published by Serpent's Tail
, about a fiction
al school massacre
. It is written from the perspective of the killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murder
s he committed. Although told in the first person
as a series of letters
from Eva to her husband, the novel's structure also strongly resembles that of a thriller. The novel, Shriver's seventh, won the 2005 Orange Prize, a UK-based prize for female authors of any nationality writing in English.
, although reference to this condition is sparse and left mostly up to the reader's imagination. He displays little to no affection or moral responsibility towards his family or community, and commonly distances himself from people to avoid attachment. Kevin seems to regard virtually everyone with contempt and hatred. Eva, his mother, makes frequent attempts to enter Kevin's mind and identify some reason for his detachment and his actions. He engages in many acts of petty sabotage from an early age, from seemingly innocent actions like spraying ink with a squirt gun on a room painstakingly wallpapered by his mother in rare maps, to possibly encouraging a girl to gouge her eczema
-affected skin. Rationalisation for his behavior is one of the central themes of the story: when asked the simple question 'Why?' after the massacre, he responds that he is giving the public the excitement and scandal that they secretly crave. Only in rare instances does another side of Kevin emerge: in childhood when he becomes very ill, and later, just before he is transferred to an adult prison and is evidently nervous. Near the end of the book when asked for the first time by his mother "why," he responds "I used to think I knew. Now I'm not so sure." In these instances, he displays the simple need for love and comfort that all children seek.
, and her thoughts concerning their relationship. She also admits to a number of events that she tried to keep secret, such as when she lashed out and broke Kevin's arm in a sudden fit of rage. Franklin comes across as extremely loving but also intensely short-sighted and even deluded where his family is concerned. He makes a huge effort to believe that his household conforms to his idealistic view of typical family life, blinded to Kevin's malice and convinced that he has a normal, happy son. Franklin dismisses Eva's concerns about their son and frequently suggests that she is exaggerating or that any problems are her fault. Towards the end of the novel he breaks down under the pressure of maintaining this illusion and asks for a divorce. Kevin overhears this, and in Eva's view, decided to commit his act of mass-murder at that point, in part because he guessed that he would end up in his oblivious father's custody, whereas he actually prefers the mother who sees through him. If he respects one of his parents, it is the strong-willed Eva, with whom he has been engaged in a battle for dominance since his birth, therefore defeating her will be more satisfying.
When Celia is six years old, she is involved in a household "accident" in which drain cleaner causes her to lose an eye. This is closely linked to an earlier incident involving Celia's pet short-eared elephant shrew, during which Eva uses Liquid Plumr, a caustic drain cleaner to clear a blockage in the children's sink. Two explanations are possible: that Eva left the cleaner sitting within Celia's reach, or that Kevin somehow attacked Celia with it, destroying her eye and scarring her face. Though never proven, Eva strongly believes that Kevin, who was babysitting at the time, poured the Liquid Plumr onto his sister's face, telling her he was cleaning her eye after she got something in it. Later, Celia's prosthetic eye plays a role in the post-massacre narrative.
in determining
character and behaviour, and the book is particularly concerned with the possibility that Eva's ambivalence toward maternity
may have influenced Kevin's development
. Shriver also identifies American optimism
and "high-hopes-crushed" as one of the novel's primary themes, as represented by Franklin, the narrator’s husband, who serves as "the novel’s self-willed optimist about the possibility of a happy family."
acquired the rights to adapt the book as a film.Director Lynne Ramsay signed on to direct. It was announced in March 2009 that Tilda Swinton
had signed on to star in the film as Eva. Filming began on location in Stamford, Connecticut
on April 19, 2010.
We Need To Talk About Kevin was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
on September 9 and 11, 2011. John C. Reilly
will play Franklin and Ezra Miller
will play Kevin.
in 10 15-minute episodes and was broadcast daily as the Woman's Hour
drama. It starred Madeleine Potter
as Eva Katchadourian. Ethan Brooke and Nathan Nolan played Kevin at various ages, while Richard Laing played Franklin Plaskett. It is occasionally repeated on BBC 7
.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver
-Early life and education:Lionel Shriver was born Margaret Ann Shriver on May 18, 1957 in Gastonia, North Carolina, to a deeply religious family . At age 15, she changed her name from Margaret Ann to Lionel because she did not like the name she had been given, and as a tomboy felt that a...
, published by Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail
Serpent's Tail is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It is notable for its translated works, particularly European crime fiction, and is the British publisher of Elfriede Jelinek and Lionel Shriver...
, about a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al school massacre
School massacre
A school shooting is an incident in which gun violence occurs at an educational institution.-Definition:The term school shooting most commonly describes acts committed by either a student or intruders from outside the school campus...
. It is written from the perspective of the killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s he committed. Although told in the first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
as a series of letters
Confessional writing
In literature, confessional writing is a first-person style that is often presented as an ongoing diary or letters, distinguished by revelations of a person's heart and darker motivations....
from Eva to her husband, the novel's structure also strongly resembles that of a thriller. The novel, Shriver's seventh, won the 2005 Orange Prize, a UK-based prize for female authors of any nationality writing in English.
Kevin
Kevin's behavior throughout the book closely resembles that of a sociopathAntisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
, although reference to this condition is sparse and left mostly up to the reader's imagination. He displays little to no affection or moral responsibility towards his family or community, and commonly distances himself from people to avoid attachment. Kevin seems to regard virtually everyone with contempt and hatred. Eva, his mother, makes frequent attempts to enter Kevin's mind and identify some reason for his detachment and his actions. He engages in many acts of petty sabotage from an early age, from seemingly innocent actions like spraying ink with a squirt gun on a room painstakingly wallpapered by his mother in rare maps, to possibly encouraging a girl to gouge her eczema
Eczema
Eczema is a form of dermatitis, or inflammation of the epidermis . In England, an estimated 5.7 million or about one in every nine people have been diagnosed with the disease by a clinician at some point in their lives.The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions...
-affected skin. Rationalisation for his behavior is one of the central themes of the story: when asked the simple question 'Why?' after the massacre, he responds that he is giving the public the excitement and scandal that they secretly crave. Only in rare instances does another side of Kevin emerge: in childhood when he becomes very ill, and later, just before he is transferred to an adult prison and is evidently nervous. Near the end of the book when asked for the first time by his mother "why," he responds "I used to think I knew. Now I'm not so sure." In these instances, he displays the simple need for love and comfort that all children seek.
Franklin
Eva's narration takes the form of letters written after the massacre to her presumably estranged husband, Franklin. In these letters, she details her relationship with her husband well before and leading up to their son's conception, followed by the events of Kevin's life up to the school massacreSchool massacre
A school shooting is an incident in which gun violence occurs at an educational institution.-Definition:The term school shooting most commonly describes acts committed by either a student or intruders from outside the school campus...
, and her thoughts concerning their relationship. She also admits to a number of events that she tried to keep secret, such as when she lashed out and broke Kevin's arm in a sudden fit of rage. Franklin comes across as extremely loving but also intensely short-sighted and even deluded where his family is concerned. He makes a huge effort to believe that his household conforms to his idealistic view of typical family life, blinded to Kevin's malice and convinced that he has a normal, happy son. Franklin dismisses Eva's concerns about their son and frequently suggests that she is exaggerating or that any problems are her fault. Towards the end of the novel he breaks down under the pressure of maintaining this illusion and asks for a divorce. Kevin overhears this, and in Eva's view, decided to commit his act of mass-murder at that point, in part because he guessed that he would end up in his oblivious father's custody, whereas he actually prefers the mother who sees through him. If he respects one of his parents, it is the strong-willed Eva, with whom he has been engaged in a battle for dominance since his birth, therefore defeating her will be more satisfying.
Celia
Kevin's sister Celia is conceived largely because of Eva's need to bond with another member of her family. Franklin commonly sides with Kevin, once stating, "there's two of us and one of you." Celia, born when Kevin is eight, is different from her brother in every way. Frightened of virtually everything, she relies on her family, Eva in particular, to keep her safe. Franklin, while devoted to Kevin, does not lavish the same attention on Celia; instead he scorns Eva for fiercely protecting her daughter.When Celia is six years old, she is involved in a household "accident" in which drain cleaner causes her to lose an eye. This is closely linked to an earlier incident involving Celia's pet short-eared elephant shrew, during which Eva uses Liquid Plumr, a caustic drain cleaner to clear a blockage in the children's sink. Two explanations are possible: that Eva left the cleaner sitting within Celia's reach, or that Kevin somehow attacked Celia with it, destroying her eye and scarring her face. Though never proven, Eva strongly believes that Kevin, who was babysitting at the time, poured the Liquid Plumr onto his sister's face, telling her he was cleaning her eye after she got something in it. Later, Celia's prosthetic eye plays a role in the post-massacre narrative.
Lenny Pugh
Kevin's best friend, he is disliked by Eva. When Kevin accuses his drama teacher of sexually molesting him, Lenny is apparently roped in to testify that he was abused, too. This is supported by the fact Kevin took the blame for Lenny throwing bricks over the overpass, intending to use it to blackmail his friend. At the end of the novel, it is revealed that he had started a website, and its purpose is revealing Kevin's secrets. There are also several references to a sexual interest between Lenny and Kevin.Major themes
Shriver focuses on the relative importance of innate characteristics and personal experiencesNature versus nurture
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences...
in determining
Determinism
Determinism is the general philosophical thesis that states that for everything that happens there are conditions such that, given them, nothing else could happen. There are many versions of this thesis. Each of them rests upon various alleged connections, and interdependencies of things and...
character and behaviour, and the book is particularly concerned with the possibility that Eva's ambivalence toward maternity
Maternal bond
The maternal bond is typically the relationship between a mother and her child.While it typically occurs due to pregnancy and childbirth, it may also occur between a woman and an unrelated child, such as in adoption...
may have influenced Kevin's development
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to...
. Shriver also identifies American optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
and "high-hopes-crushed" as one of the novel's primary themes, as represented by Franklin, the narrator’s husband, who serves as "the novel’s self-willed optimist about the possibility of a happy family."
Film adaptation
In 2005 BBC FilmsBBC Films
BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC. It has produced or co-produced some of the most successful British films of recent years, including An Education, StreetDance 3D, Fish Tank, Stage Beauty, A Cock and Bull Story, Nativity! and Match Point.It aims to make strong British films with...
acquired the rights to adapt the book as a film.Director Lynne Ramsay signed on to direct. It was announced in March 2009 that Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
had signed on to star in the film as Eva. Filming began on location in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
on April 19, 2010.
We Need To Talk About Kevin was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
on September 9 and 11, 2011. John C. Reilly
John C. Reilly
John Christopher Reilly, Jr. is an American film and theater actor, singer, and comedian. Debuting in Casualties of War in 1989, he is one of several actors whose careers were launched by Brian De Palma. To date, he has appeared in more than fifty films, including three separate films in 2002...
will play Franklin and Ezra Miller
Ezra Miller
- Early life :Miller was born in New Jersey. His mother, Marta, is a modern dancer. His father, Robert S. Miller, was senior vice president and managing director of Walt Disney Company's adult book publishing division, Hyperion Books. He has two older sisters, Saiya and Caitlin.Miller was trained...
will play Kevin.
Radio adaptation
From 7 January 2008 the story was serialized on BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in 10 15-minute episodes and was broadcast daily as the Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour
Woman's Hour is a radio magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom.-History:Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by Alan Ivimey the programme was first broadcast on 7 October 1946 on the BBC's Light Programme . It was transferred to its current home in 1973...
drama. It starred Madeleine Potter
Madeleine Potter
Madeleine Potter is an American actress who has played supporting roles in over twenty films and TV shows, including four productions directed by James Ivory. She has also appeared in numerous stage productions in the United States and United Kingdom...
as Eva Katchadourian. Ethan Brooke and Nathan Nolan played Kevin at various ages, while Richard Laing played Franklin Plaskett. It is occasionally repeated on BBC 7
BBC 7
BBC Radio 4 Extra, formerly known as BBC 7 and BBC Radio 7, is a British digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and children's programming nationally 24 hours a day. It is the principal broadcasting outlet for the BBC's archive of spoken-word entertainment...
.
External links
- Podcast of Lionel Shriver discussing We Need to Talk About Kevin on the BBC's World Book ClubWorld Book ClubWorld Book Club is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her books, often the most well-known one, with the public...
. - Interview with the author from Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
- BBC Radio 4 interview with Shriver on the book
- Information on the book from the publisher, Serpent's TailSerpent's TailSerpent's Tail is a British independent publishing firm founded in 1986 by Pete Ayrton. It is notable for its translated works, particularly European crime fiction, and is the British publisher of Elfriede Jelinek and Lionel Shriver...