Her behaviour is understandable though, because Kevin is a nightmare from the moment he is born when he rejects her breast milk. The reason why she is most unlikeable, though, is of course that she doesn’t take to motherhood and doesn’t act the way a mother should towards her son. She is harsh, cold and feels superior to the rest of America because she’s traveled and has Armenian background, among other reasons. Without giving anything away, there’s only one part in the novel where I actually liked Kevin and that’s when he’s sick and actually treats his mother with the love and kindness he would if he wasn’t in control of himself and always acting so monstrous.Įva is not a particularly likeable character either. As is Kevin’s character development, though he doesn’t really change a whole lot and is basically a psycho from the beginning. The way the novel builds to this moment is excruciating and fascinating. He does all these awful things to his mother and family, all before he uses his crossbow to kill 7 classmates, a teacher and a canteen worker at his school at the age of 15. I didn’t like him at all for the majority of the novel (which is kind of the point). Or, at least that’s the way he’s chosen to act. Kevin is an annoying, nasty and tormenting boy. Kevin isn’t the sweet little boy his father sees him as, no matter how much Eva may have exaggerated the things he did. However, I can’t help myself but believe Eva’s side of things.

Meaning she is an unreliable narrator and we can’t know for sure if Kevin really was so monstrous. The way Lionel Shriver wrote the novel, letters from Eva to her estranged husband Franklin, only engages us with Eva’s point of view. It’s truly made me speechless and has really confused me as to whether Kevin was simply born a monster or whether it’s Eva, his mums, fault that he turned out so horrible because she didn’t like him from the start. I’m pretty shaken up about it and can’t stop analysing it.

Damn, this was a powerful, brilliant and incredibly disturbing book.

Kevin lionel shriver