Review from a Transgressive Fiction Fan
An epic book like “We Need to Talk About Kevin” is rare, yeah. I can see this as some rather strikingly beautiful monster composed of the few scary parts from Ira Levin’s “Rosemary’s Baby” and the more ominous tones of “The Omen”. It’s a modern psychology (dissected with words so carefully chosen, both intellectual and to-the-core precise) that deconstructs a past for the sake of…something. I won’t tell. This one has a DYNAMITE ENDING that will rattle you, and then some. It is, truly, pretty much everything you’d ever want in a book (Shriver’s account is WAAAAAY more compelling than Philip Roth’s Pulitzer darling “American Pastoral”, & they share the theme of the American dream-gone-bad, as parents are betrayed by their own American flag-toting offspring).
Recommended 100%.
“Insightful” Review from a Mainstream Reader
I did not like this book. Honestly, what was to like about it? The topic is horrifying, the characters are hateful (and not just the characters that commit mass murders) and the writing style is the worst of all.