By:Lionel Shriver
Author Lionel Shriver writes an engaging book that is a focused on a teenager who has committed murder in his school. The story is told in the form of letters from the perspective of the mother, Eva, who is sending the letters to her estranged husband, Franklin. Most shocking about his book (besides the surprises that will hit the reader as he or she reads further into the book) is the fact that Shriver does NOT have any children. Her descriptions of Lou's hesitations to get pregnant and her inability to bond with her baby boy, Kevin, are absolutely "right on" and incredibly realistic. Through the story we learn of Lou and Franklin's marriage, their decision (not exactly mutual!) to start a family, and of course the challenges Lou has from Day 1 with raising baby Kevin. Their second baby, Celia, has the exact opposite personality as Kevin. Franklin, always the optimistic father, has an excuse for every concern or mis-step that Kevin takes (and there are certainly many, many psychiatric problems that this boy seems to display). I will admit I had hesitations to read a book that focused on a teenager committing murder, but this book is so well written that it was easy to get deeply drawn into this story. The story begins, as I mentioned, before Kevin is born, and continues past the time when he has committed the murders at his school, and is imprisoned. The author does a wonderful job of showing us the many flaws of Kevin. Despite this, I found my heart aching for Kevin - because he was and is clearly a very troubled soul. I found myself amazed at Franklin's ability to ignore all the signs that his son was deeply disturbed and to do a better job bonding with his daughter. Like many parents, Lou spends quite a bit of time discussing what mistakes she made with Kevin. As I mentioned earlier, the book certainly has a surprising twist that the reader will not expect. If you are looking for a very engaging, well written book, you may want to check this one out soon! (Fiction) 06/30/09
