We Need to Talk About Kevin

I recently finished Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin, and it's one of the most deeply affecting novels I've ever read. The book is series of letters written by a woman to her estranged husband, in the wake of the massacre at a high school that left nine people dead. The Kevin of the title refers to their son, the one who was responsible for the deaths.

It's not easy reading, and I can't say that it left me feeling anything but abject despair, but it's been a while since I read a novel that's stuck with me in such a powerful way.

Thus concludes Phyllis Rogers Stone's BWW Book Selection of the Month.

Updated On: 9/5/08 at 01:51 AM

It's certainly not something to be read as a lark, but Shriver is such a good writer (her The Post-Birthday World is downright whimsical compared to Kevin) that you really do come to understand this woman and her ambivalence about motherhood. The underlying question that lingers throughout is was her ambivalence at least partially to blame for what happened? There are no easy answers in the book, though, which is probably why I found it so satisfying.

I didn't find her unlikeable, but I can understand why someone might. I think Shriver leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not Kevin was born the way he was or did Eva's ambivalence (and sometimes even contempt) toward motherhood mold him into what he becomes.

I never got around to reading the novel. It's on my Kindle. I watched the movie last night. It makes it plainly obvious through the build what is coming or so you think. You certainly don't expect the final aspects of it. It's my understanding that the novel is the same way. I was absolutely shaken and must read the book now.

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Having read the book before seeing the movie, I have no idea how it plays to people who haven't. I thought it was faithful to the spirit of the book (although the book is entirely a series of letters) without being a slavish recreation. Part of what was so engrossing about the book was the way it's written, as well as Shriver's contention that Eva is an unreliable narrator. It's possible I'm seeing things in it that couldn't be seen without knowledge of the book.

This sounds like a total rip-off of the Tate storyline on American Horror Story.

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"That said, it's a personal triumph for her, a restrained and beautiful performance from an actress who has a tendency to showboat.'

AC, this is the second time you've shocked me in the last few days (the first instance relates to your lack of esteem for Kelli O'Hara as an actress).

The only performance of Swinton's I can think of as, even arguably, evincing a tendency to showboat would be that in Julia. When I think of her roles over many years - Caravaggio, Orlando, Vanilla Sky, Broken Flowers, Benjamin Button, her remarkably restrained tour de force in The Deep End, her oscar winning turn in Michael Clayton, and her exquisitely controlled work in I Am Love (which I concede showboated, along with dreamy Jil Sander wardrobe, an ability to persuasively speak Italian with a Russian accent) - what distinguishes a Tilda Swinton performance is a rare blend of economy, restraint, elegance and mystery.

Her sense of moderation and underplay notably extends to roles where a great many actors would, with some justification, take an opposite approach or even go for the jugular (Edward II, Narnia, Adaptation, Burn Before Reading).

Rare that I disagree with your comments about acting, AC, but it's been a welcome change this morning from my National Defense Authorization Act induced (what's the word? I'd say hysteria but that would imply I'm overreacting).

Updated On: 12/17/11 at 11:46 AM

God, how I hated I AM LOVE. I thought it was a parody of every foreign film cliche you could possibly imagine thrown into 2 hours.

On a very different note, I saw THE HELP and MY WEEK WITH MARILYN this week and was blown over by Davis and Williams. Truly stunned by both of them.

With the reports, reviews and or anticipation about Swinton, Streep, Theron, Close (perhaps in Glenn's case more her long overdueness than anything else, alas, but time will tell) - and with Dunst's fine work in MELANCHOLIA, this is looking like one of the most competitive best actress oscar races in years; and quite likely one of those contests that shows just how silly acting contests can be by throwing light on the odiousness of comparisons.

By the way, I'd personally add Kristen Wiig's hilarious, and for my money brilliant, turn in Bridesmaids into the mix.

But like that's going to happen...

Agree about Wiig's brilliant performance in Bridesmaids. I think it's the best female comic creation since Annie Hall. And she's not afraid to be unlikable at moments, which I think is remarkably daring for actresses.

And Swinton is the last actress I'd even think of in terms of 'showboating.' That honor (at least in that generation) goes to one Ms. Cate Blanchett.

This movie definitely got to me. I have not read the novel but I have read Dave Cullen's book about Columbine that hit me like a truck despite knowing all of the basic facts beforehand, particularly about Eric Harris who you could definitely call 'the Kevin' of real-life.

All three Kevins in the movie were fantastic. I hope that even if Ezra Miller does not get nominated for awards that he deserves he still gets great projects later on for his career. Kevin is one of the more unsettling characters I have seen in a while. The character manages to be a svengali, because when he was not even in frame when there is an instance of a certain pet going missing I was getting squirmy and under my breath saying 'Oh, please, just... no' thinking about that character.

I think the structure was intentionally blurry at the beginning and ultimately gains more understanding at the end. I appreciated the initial confusion. Doing it in conventional structure would have just felt less impacting imo.

I actually think Eva is still very complex and in certain scenes is shown to be either the only person on to Kevin or the most insane person like somebody in a horror movie. That puts into question her perspective and even when her interactions do not involve Kevin, there is an undeniable paranoia. She certainly does not display great qualities in parenting and her having Celia can be picked apart for ages in relation to Kevin. Swinton plays her not really woe is me but exasperated.

I really liked this film although John C. Reilly pretty much is an afterthought to Swinton and the three young actors. I kept on hearing the moment the trailer hit over how much of a miscast he was for the role. Any opinions on that?

Updated On: 1/1/12 at 07:35 PM

"And Swinton is the last actress I'd even think of in terms of 'showboating.' That honor (at least in that generation) goes to one Ms. Cate Blanchett."

An interesting comparison as Tilda was the original choice for ELIZABETH. I'm glad she didn't do it because I savor every minute of Cate's performance in that film, but it does make one wonder what might have been.