100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Enjoy overnight NZ-wide delivery from our NZ-owned independent bookstore! πŸŽ‰

We Need to Talk About Kevin

4.08 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 208,405 ratings, 18,663 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver is a gripping narrative that delves into the complex relationship between a mother, Eva, and her troubled son, Kevin. Through a series of letters, Eva reflects on Kevin’s disturbing behaviour and the tragic events that unfold, offering a profound exploration of maternal guilt and the nature versus nurture debate within a family setting. This emotionally charged story challenges readers to confront unsettling truths about love, responsibility, and the limits of understanding.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of We Need to Talk About Kevin. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy thought-provoking narratives exploring the complexities of motherhood and the nature versus nurture debate. It delves deep into the psychological dynamics of a family, offering a gripping and sometimes chilling exploration of guilt, responsibility, and the search for understanding in the aftermath of a shocking event. If you appreciate intense and introspective storytelling, this story might resonate with you.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

When he was 15, Kevin murdered seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a teacher. Here, our narrator, Kevin's mother, Eva, tells the story of his upbringing to her estranged husband through a series of letters. Who is to blame for teenage atrocity?

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

We Need to Talk About Kevin explores the chilling tale of Kevin Katchadourian, who killed seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a teacher, all shortly before his sixteenth birthday.

Kevin is visited in prison by his mother, Eva, who narrates her story in a series of letters to her estranged husband, Franklin. These letters recount Kevin's upbringing and its challenges. A successful career woman, Eva is initially reluctant to sacrifice her independence and the life she shares with Franklin to embrace motherhood.

Once Kevin is born, Eva finds herself experiencing overwhelming alienation and an intense dislike for Kevin as he grows into a spiteful and cruel child. This disconnection leads Eva to question her role and responsibility when Kevin eventually commits murder.

As Eva struggles with her own self-doubt, she fears that her perceived shortcomings may have influenced Kevin's actions. Yet, she is left wondering, how much is she truly to blame? And if she is not at fault, what drove Kevin to such extreme measures?

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin is widely praised for its gripping, thought-provoking narrative that challenges perceptions of motherhood and culpability. Critics highlight the novel's intense psychological depth, examining unsettling themes of nature versus nurture and the complexities of maternal instinct. The book is described as harrowing and compelling, with reviewers admiring its elegant and direct storytelling, particularly applauding its surprise-filled plot and the emotional impact of the final paragraph.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781921145087

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 March 2006

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 326g

Pages: 480

About the Author

Authors Bio, not available

Also by Lionel Shriver

View all
  • Should We Stay or Should We Go
    A best fiction book of 2021 for The Times β€˜Hilarious… Fiery phrases spit and crackle. Disgust expands and bursts into belly laughs… a very funny book’ Sunday Times β€˜Thought-provoking, timely, and extremely funny’ Metro β€˜Shriver said that her favourite novels are those that pack both an intellectual and emotional punch. With Should We Stay or Should We Go, she’s added...
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • We Need To Talk About Kevin film tie-in
    Two years ago Eva Khatchadourian's son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high-school students, a cafeteria worker, and a popular teacher. Now, in a series of letters to her absent husband, Eva recounts the story of how Kevin came to be Kevin. Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep,...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047
    THE BRILLIANT NEW NOVEL FROM THE ORANGE PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. β€˜Distinctly chilling’ Independent β€˜Unsettling as it is entertaining’ Financial Times β€˜It's scaring the hell out of me’ Tracy Chevalier In this eerily prophetic novel from the Orange Prize-winning author of We Need to Talk About Kevin, a once-wealthy family faces the prospect of ruin....
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Mania
    'Seldom is a book as funny, important and timely … I was laughing out loud at the same time as my blood was running cold' JOHN CLEESE β€˜Viciously funny… an exhilarating satire’ THE TIMES 'Merciless… a welcome distraction' ECONOMIST, Best Books of 2024 What if calling someone stupid was illegal? In a reality not too distant from our own, the...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Better Life
    β€˜Shriver remains a formidably sharp writer, one of the best we have’ EVENING STANDARD In a provocative novel addressing contemporary immigration by the sharply observant Lionel Shriver, a New York family takes in a Honduran migrant – who may or may not be the innocent paragon she claims to be. Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Abominations
    The first essay collection from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time. β€˜This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she’s a brilliant writer… Order a copy in case she’s cancelled by Christmas’ THE TIMES (Book of the Year) β€˜You may disagree with Lionel Shriver’s bracing journalism, but her right to spark disquiet goes to the heart of the...
    Paperback
    $3500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Motion of the Body Through Space
    From the Orange Prize-winning author of We Need to Talk About Kevin β€˜Enjoyably abrasive… a compelling read… sardonic and elegant’ Evening Standard β€˜Scabrously funny… few authors can be as entertainingly problematic as Shriver’ Guardian β€˜With laugh-out-loud and sad moments, it’s a pinpoint-sharp novel’ Woman and Home β€˜A satire on fitness zealotry with a side serving of culture-war intrigue… diverting’ Financial...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Abominations
    The first essay collection from one of the most acclaimed writers of our time. β€˜This trenchant, unrepentant collection reminds you that she’s a brilliant writer… Order a copy in case she’s cancelled by Christmas’ THE TIMES (Book of the Year) β€˜You may disagree with Lionel Shriver’s bracing journalism, but her right to spark disquiet goes to the heart of the...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from General Fiction

View all
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people β€” but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Throne of Glass Box Set (Paperback)
    Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. Discover the worldwide phenomenon of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Throne of Glass series in this gorgeous 8-book box set! In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not...
    Set
    $12400
    Elsewhere:
    $15500
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Goal
    Welcome to Briar U!Get ready for your newest obsession . . . Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy!Read The Goal now for the perfect forced proximity romance! She's good at achieving her goals . . . College senior Sabrina James has her whole future planned out: graduate from college, kick...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Red Rising
    The first book in the incredible New York Times bestselling series Darrow is a Helldiver, toiling beneath the surface of Mars. As a member of the Red caste, he performs grueling labor in the belief that his sacrifice will enable future generations to one day inhabit the surface of the Red Planet. The Reds are humankind's lowest caste, living in...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    The Ballad of Falling Dragons [Special Deluxe edition]
    The No.1 Sunday Times bestselling sensation When the Moon Hatched continues with the second book in The Moonfall Series, The Ballad of Falling Dragons… Raeve’s thirst for vengeance continues to burn, as does her love for Kaan Vaegor – a staunch beacon from a past she’s yet to face. With Rekk’s blood still fresh on her hands, she learns the...
    Hardback
    $5999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Project Hail Mary
    Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, the SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of The Martian, offers a gripping new adventure in hard science fiction. With endorsement from notable figures such as Barack Obama and a slew of five-star reviews, this novel promises a thrilling and intellectually stimulating journey. Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut, finds himself on a...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Carl's Doomsday Scenario
    Join Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat Princess Donut as they fight fantastical creatures and deadly mobs in the second book in the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl series -now with bonus material exclusive to the print edition Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They've already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever...
    Hardback
    $4699
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Score
    Welcome to Briar U! Get ready for your newest obsession... Discover the addictive world of the Off-Campus series from The Queen of Hockey Romance, Elle Kennedy! Read The Score now for the perfect friends with benefits romance! He knows how to score, on and off the ice... Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn't have...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Golden Son
    ENDER'S GAME meets THE HUNGER GAMES in this, the second in an extraordinary trilogy from an incredible new voice.'I'm still playing games. This is just the deadliest yet.' Darrow is a rebel forged by tragedy. For years he and his fellow Reds worked the mines, toiling to make the surface of Mars inhabitable. They were, they believed, mankind's last hope....
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    Paperback
    $2899
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (5)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • New Release
    On Mystic Lake
    One of the greatest storytellers of our time - Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school in England. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Left alone in the beautiful California house which was once a home, Annie...
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • East of Eden
    Set against the backdrop of the fertile Salinas Valley in California, East of Eden is a profound and compelling novel by John Steinbeck, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. This masterful narrative charts the intertwining destinies of two familiesβ€”the Trasks and the Hamiltonsβ€”across multiple generations. Steinbeck's intricate portrayal of human nature and enduring exploration of moral themes...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.