We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all three days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails

This book is very hard for me to review. It gave me so many mixed emotions.

Kevin shot and killed nine people in his high school. The novel is told by his mother, in a series of letters addressed to her estranged husband, Kevins father. In these letters she is trying to figure out what went wrong: is it because she didn't love Kevin enough? Or was it because Kevin was inherently evil from the beginning?


In the beginning, I did not understand why this book was getting the attention and praise it has gotten. I could not get into the writing. Shrivers writing is intricate and intelligent and I found myself having a dictionary on hand throughout most of the book.  I, also, found it hard to believe that any person would write such intimate letters in the style these were written. After getting used to the style of writing, the book did get easier to read. Though it did take 100+ pages for me to get in to it.


Knowing the premise of the story, I went into it expecting to feel sorry for the main character, Eva. She is a mom of a boy who committed mass murder in his high school, it oozes with prospects of sympathy. In the end I found myself hating Eva for most of the book. She comes off selfish and obnoxious most of the time, always blaming someone for things that happened. There were occasions, once Kevin grew older, where I did feel sorry for her. The way Shriver describes Kevin is hard to comprehend at times also, especially when you grew up in a society that always has a finger to point blame. The book makes you think hard about what society says about the kids who commit school shootings and the nature vs. nurture debate.


At times I was completely enthralled with this book and others I was forcing myself to get through. When it is good it is very good. When the book is in its lull it is very boring. The ending, though, was great. It was heartbreaking and brought out even more questions about the nature of love.


After finishing the book I can understand why it has gotten the attention it has. This book and the questions it posed will stay with me for a very long time but I had such a hard time "liking" the book. Maybe that was the point.


3.5 out of 5 stars.



BUY IT HERE: We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel (P.S.) (See all Contemporary Literature)

The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria Àngels Anglada, Martha Tennent (Translator)

In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin. . . .

 Imprisoned at Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp, Daniel feels his humanity slipping away. Treasured memories of the young woman he loved and the prayers that once lingered on his lips become hazier with each passing day. Then a visit from a mysterious stranger changes everything, as Daniel’s former identity as a crafter of fine violins is revealed to all. The camp’s two most dangerous men use this information to make a cruel wager: If Daniel can build a successful violin within a certain number of days, the Kommandant wins a case of the finest burgundy. If not, the camp doctor, a torturer, gets hold of Daniel. And so, battling exhaustion, Daniel tries to recapture his lost art, knowing all too well the likely cost of failure. 

This book is a very short, quick read. It was simply and beautifully written but was lacking.

The story begins in 1991 at a concert, with the person who now has the Auschwitz violin. It goes back to the early 1940's in Auschwitz to tell the origin of the violin. Finally we are brought back to the 90's when past and present meet for the violin.

The Girl's Guide to Homelessness; a memoir by Brianna Karp

Brianna Karp entered the workforce at age ten, supporting her mother and sister throughout her teen years in Southern California. Although her young life was scarred by violence and abuse, Karp stayed focused on her dream of a steady job and a home of her own. By age twenty-two her dream became reality. Karp loved her job as an executive assistant and signed the lease on a tiny cottage near the beach.

And then the Great Recession hit. Karp, like millions of others, lost her job. In the six months between the day she was laid off and the day she was forced out onto the street, Karp scrambled for temp work and filed hundreds of job applications, only to find all doors closed. When she inherited a thirty-foot travel trailer after her father's suicide, Karp parked it in a Walmart parking lot and began to blog about her search for work and a way back.

I disliked this book pretty much from the get go. From the snippets I found online about it, it sounded like a great read. It was even praised by an author that I really like, Augusten Burroughs. It was severely disappointing.

The book starts off with Karp explaining a bit about her childhood. She details growing up in an abusive household and the pains of being raised a Jehovah Witness. In her adulthood she gets a job she loves but is let go due to the recession. After a few other bad things happen she finds herself homeless. Karp then, starts a blog and everything goes from there.

I will give it to Ms. Karp, she had a hard childhood. I can't even imagine living in the household she grew up in. After she is through detailing her childhood though, I completely lost interest. She spends the next part of the novel doing everything she can to convince you that she is a smart and resourceful young woman and that she really, truly, is homeless. I felt like she was more trying to convince herself. Then, she starts her long distance relationship with a man over the internet and that's all she seems to talk about. At this point, I was done with the book. I made myself finish it just because I hate not finishing a book and I wanted to see how this train wreck would end.

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

I was immediately gripped by this novel. It is a very difficult subject to think about and does draw out a number of emotions but I could not put it down.

The story is told by Jack, a 5 year old, who grew up with an 11x11 room as his entire world. Jacks Ma has never told him anything about the outside world. His world consists of this room and the objects in it that he lovingly has given proper names, Wardrobe, Bed, Meltedy Spoon. Ma, finally, decides she can take no more and devises a plan of escape. From there on Jacks world is turned completely upside-down.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

I am jumping on the bandwagon of praise for this book. It really is sensational.

The Help details the lives of three women in Jackson, MS in the 1960's, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. There is Skeeter, a well off, young, white woman who aspires to be a writer and has always seen things a bit differently. Aibileen is an experienced and intelligent black maid who is currently raising her 17th white child. And then there is Minny, a feisty black woman who has no problem speaking her mind and putting her employment at risk regularly. Together they work together, secretly, to put together a book that will change their lives in a way they cannot predict.

Stockett beautifully gives voice to all her characters. Each woman has her own distinct dialect that gives you such a vivid sense of who she is and how she feels. The story weaves seamlessly between these women and the lives they lead. It is hard to believe while reading this book that it is set a mere 50 years ago. You can feel the social tensions, the humiliation and anger that Stockett writes about. It is heartrending and uplifting all at the same time.

One Day by David Nicholls

It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself

I enjoyed this book. It shows a more realistic, up and down, side of relationships.

The premise is a great one. Two young people meet the night of their graduation and continue in and out of each others lives. For the next 20 years Nicholls checks in on them on the same day, July 15. Several times you see a certain year just from one point of view or the others, very rarely both. He does very well sticking to this, filling in background information as needed. The characters aren't very deep or profound but I found myself loving them for their little quirks. Though, at times, they did annoy me to no end. I think that's what really drew me in. Nicholls, also, explores many aspects of human nature through Emma and Dexter.

It is funny at times, irritating at others. It also throws a heart-breaking twist in a time or two. The big twist has thrown many people I know off the book entirely. I believe the author redeems himself afterward though. It is not my favorite love story I have ever read but it is a good one. There are some weaknesses in the story and writing but overall I think it was well written and a great book.

4 out of 5 stars.

BUY IT HERE: One Day (Vintage Contemporaries Original)

Midnight by Dean Koontz

The citizens of Moonlight Cove, California, are changing. Some are losing touch with their deepest emotions. Others are surrendering to their wildest urges. And the few who remain unchanged are absolutely terrified--if not brutally murdered in the dead of night...

I love a good sci-fi thriller. One that gets my heart beating fast and makes it feel like I can't turn the pages fast enough. This book definitely had that kind of suspense to it. Sadly, it just never drew me in.

Moonlight Cove, California is a picturesque community until some inexplicable deaths occur. Sam Booker, an FBI agent is sent in undercover to discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths. While Tessa Lockland is in town to dig into her sisters unlikely suicide. Along with a wheelchair-bound Vietnam Vet, Harry Talbot, and an intelligent beyond her years 11 year old, Chrissie Foster, they discover the truth behind the darkness that is taking over the town.

Koontz takes a lot of time to develop the characters. I found myself not really caring about any of them, with the exception of Chrissie. Once the lives of the characters are interwoven the climax really drags on until the end which was a bit of a disappointment. I found myself really dragging through this book. While it did have some good plot twists, a few of which were a bit of a stretch on the imagination, it never grabbed me. I had to force myself to finish it just so I could say I did.

If you like an unbelievable 'things that go bump in the night' type of book, this is one for you.

2 out of 5 stars.

BUY IT HERE: Midnight (See all Suspense Thrillers Books)

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: 
           This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again - the story starts there ...            Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds

I stumbled across this book at a book sale. There was so much hype on the cover that I was a bit leery to read it. I bought it anyway. The book drew me in right away. As the blurb above asks, I will not give away the story, though I did not find it as extraordinary as it claimed.

Little Bee is a refugee from Nigeria, Sarah is a British magazine editor. A horror pulls them together on the beaches of Africa. From then on, their lives are never the same.

Cleave weaves in and out of the two narrators effortlessly. You can very easily see the difference in the voice. Little Bees voice captures you from the beginning while Sarahs is just merely there. The book is both heart-wrenching and slightly humorous and uplifting. Though the ending did leave me wanting a bit more.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

BUY IT HERE: Little Bee: A Novel (See all Literary Books)