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Lionel Shriver Book Reviews
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Lionel Shriver (or as she was born - Margaret Ann), writes eye-opening and fantastic books. OurBookClub was introduced to Shriver in "We Need to Talk About Kevin" which had us riveted, so much that we went back and read Lionel Shrivers' earlier books and have become huge fans ever since. The books are all individually written, so you don't need to read them as a series or in any specific order. This is part of what makes her so fantastic - how does Shriver continue to come up with such totally diverse subjects, but research them to provide you with an absorbing and interesting factual account. Certainly the hallmark of a great author.
Lionel Shriver just has a way with characters, they are surprising but gripping and this is part of why her books are so fascinating. The character interactions and how they mimic real life, yet continue to surprise the reader as they journey through the story. Her books cover extremely uncomfortable subjects - divorce, immigration, mass-murdering sons and health care. Do yourself a favour and read her books, we can't recommend them highly enough.
We are already thinking of how to get our hands on Shriver's newest book The New Republic sounds fascinating as Shriver takes on terrorism. Reporter Edgar Kellogg is sent to an imaginary outpost called Barba to report on the terrorist activities of the SOB (Os Soldados Ousados de Barba—the Daring Soldiers of Barba). He's replacing the larger-than-life Barrington Saddler, who has mysteriously disappeared. The book's satire is timely; we see reporters hungering for violence, terrorist outfits clamoring for attention, and would-be terrorists rising to positions of respect and prominence. There's also a fascinating plotline that raises the question of whether a terrorist group has to be real to be effective. Due out on 27 March 2012.
So Much For That (2010)
Read by Tracy 2010 (OurBookClub book pick of the month for June 2010) and recommended for a novel that tackles topical issues in a dark comedic way
The latest Shriver novel which is a blistering attack on the American healthcare system and rightly so. This novel is a fantastic read that will just have you shaking your head in unbelievable amazement at the absurdity of the situation and how health insurance companies are so empowered that medical costs devastate supposedly "insured" families.
In So Much for That Shep Knacker has a plan; save enough money and leave America. Having finally settled on a destination (Pemba, off the coast of Zanzibar), he gives his wife an ultimatium - come with him or stay. She tells him she has cancer (a very rare form called familial dysautonomia) and he is forced to give up his dream and put any personal desires or future plans on hold while they battle not only the disease but the doctors and health insurance providers. We are also introduced to Shep's best friend (Jackson) whose first child has a degenerative hereditary disease, and to pay for the medical bills that his employer's company health insurance doesn't cover, his wife has to go back to work full-time at another company who provides a better health insurance scheme. Both families are being crushed by the strain of working just to pay the medical bills, where nothing seems to be covered under their health insurance and their relationships begin to disintegrate under the mounting pressure of seeing their savings disappear.
The book highlights the issues faced in accessing health care - no matter what way Shep turns, he is faced with some very personal questions regarding money and if he can actually afford to keep his wife alive. I was in tears towards the end and Shriver has again produced a book with an unexpected ending. On a personal note, I am baffled at how a country like America can end up with a health care system that only caters for the wealthy. It certainly makes you appreciate that our health care system has not gone down that path - yet!
Lionel Shrivers argues that the American government is fundamentally dysfunctional in their dealing with the US healthcare system and the lack of buy-in from the Obama government on reform.
The Post Birthday World (2007)
Read by Tracy in January 2010 & Natalie in June 2008 and recommended to keep you guessing until the end
Shriver’s follow-up novel to We Need to Talk About Kevin, snagging her a six-figure advance and nominated by Time magazine as one of the top 10 books for 2007. The Post Birthday World asks the question;can a kiss change the course of a life?
This book is totally different to Kevin, lacking the sensationalism, however, typical of Shriver's style in choosing a totally different topic. This is Shrivers eighth novel and again totally different to her previous books. The book shows the life of Irina McGovern, a children's book illustrator, married to Lawrence Trainer a terrorism expert, their relationship is based on tranquil domesticity. Every year they meet up with Jude and her husband Ramsey for Ramsey's birthday. One year, however, things change. Ramsey and Jude are divorced and with Lawrence away, Irina dines out with Ramsey alone. It is during this meal that the alternate plot develops. After much alcohol, Irina thinks "If Ramsey didn't kiss her, she was going to die". Does Irina stay with Lawrence or go with Ramsey. The book splits into two - one where Ramsey does kiss her and she embarks on a roller coaster of a life, in the other she turns away and stays within her cocooned love nest with Lawrence, ignoring outside events.
The two plotlines run parallel eventually converging (similar to the movie Sliding Doors). The plots are polar opposites which could be boring, but due to the total differences it was interesting, although I did prefer her story with Lawrence more interesting. Irina is obsessive and finds fault with both "soul mates", however the ending was a surprise and I loved it. I am not usually a romantic person, but believe that the ending was great.
On a broader scheme the novel also looks at the growth of terrorism and how it influences lives, careers and relationships. Some great 'what-if' scenarios to get discussions raging.
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2003)
Read by Tracy in 2009 and Natalie in 2011 (OurBookClub book pick of the month for December 2011)
Highly recommended, in fact we can't recommend it enough
Tracy's reviewThis book won Shriver the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005. For us this was a phenomenal book which we would never have picked up to read had it not been recommended to us so much. Were we glad - it had us from the start. This book is provocative and brilliantly written and will leave you thinking back and wondering if it was in some way biographical as it just hit the right chord on so many levels. Strangely enough this book was rejected by approximately 30 publishers before finally being released.
Is a child the product of nature or nurture? The book is narrated by Eva in a series of letters to her ex-husband (Franklin) about events leading up to and after her teenage son, Kevin, goes on a killing spree in his high school, murdering nine people. Eva spends the book trying to understand what led Kevin to this act. After similar high school killings in the US, this book made us realise these murderers have families and wonder what sparks that desire in someone so young. What is the trigger in children who apparently have everything. On the flip-side we wonder how can the parents not have known something was happening or noticed these violent tendancies before they escalated out of control. The letters take you into the guilt that Eva carries and continually tortures herself with. She also introduces the reader to the debate about nature versus nurture and in her case she believes that neither were responsible for shaping Kevin's character - he was simply born bad. It's hard not to feel sorry for her and how her life changed from a happy marriage with a brilliant career who was ambivalent at her impending motherhood to complete hell. Then there was her lack of bonding with Kevin and his total disregard for her which is flaunted in her face, and Kevin's reliance on his father for everything, who in return was devoted and could not accept that Kevin could do anything wrong. Eva loved both her husband and her younger daughter but the deception and savagery of Kevin strained their marriage to breaking point. The lack of empathy in Kevin was phenomenal - the treatment of his sister and disdain for everything and anyone. Shriver is a fantastic writer, the book gripped us and the ending has you reeling and in tears and was the best book we have read in a very long time. This book also discussed something that seems to be unapproachable by many other books - maternal ambivalence and possible post-natal depression. However in this book, Eva always states that she was unable to bond during pregnancy and felt nothing after the birth, seeming to understand that her experience was not as close as other parent/children bonds that have been written about. Eva's inability to bond with Kevin stems from her change in lifestyle - she went from a successful author who loved travelling and the city to a stay at home mum where she became resentful and angry. Eva ends up living an unending hell where she is perpetually assaulted and absued by the bereaved parents of the children that Kevin murdered in the Columbine-style killing spree. She spends her time replaying the raising of Kevin and whether she was at fault, whereas Kevin remains resentful and manipulative even in prison.
Due to the popularity of this book, Shriver has become famous. Strange turn of events, considering her agent reject We Need to Talk About Kevin which required Shriver to mail out her own book, finally finding a small publishing house that would take on this book.
Even Shriver herself has hesitations about the book in light of the recent American high school tragedies. This book makes the hairs on the back of your neck just stand on end.
The movie has just been released at the Cannes Film Festival 2011 and will be released worldwide in November 2011. It is described as a dark and visually arresting psychological horror movie, starring John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller and Tilda Swinton. The movie was particularly hard for Swinton who appears in almost every seen. The movie is said to remain true to the book (and was co-written by Shriver), journeying through Eva's life as a series of memories where you witness the development of Kevin. It is going to be very interesting to see just how they portray Eva and her relationship with Kevin. Click here for more information, images and interviews from Swinton and Reilly.
Natalie's reviewI have to confess, although I bought this book back in 2007 and although Lionel Shriver is listed as one of Our Favourites, I have only just read it. I’m not sure why it took me so long, it had been recommended and hyped to me on so many occasions and whether I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to expectations or maybe other books just got in the way, I don’t know. But in light of the movie coming out, I thought I would finally sit down and read it. I’ll admit too, the first 50 or so pages did not make a good impression. I found it to be waffly and a little bit pretentious. But, I stuck with it and while I can safely say it was never going to be a book you would fall in love with, in the end it was unbelievably good, certainly worth the hype and recommendations.
We Need To Talk About Kevin is full of confronting and in some people’s eyes, taboo subjects. Told entirely in the form of letters, written from Eva to her estranged husband Franklin, she describes their relationship, their decision to have a child, her pregnancy and the birth, Kevin’s childhood and then the subsequent shooting he commits at his high school when he is just 15 years old. As Eva recounts her version of events, it is hard to feel much empathy for her. This is her story only, where neither Franklin nor Kevin has a chance to interject, and she tells it in a detached, almost superior manner that leaves you feeling cold towards her. Her reluctance to have a child in the first place, her almost devious manner in conceiving the child brought on by the fear of losing her husband. Her lack of any maternal feelings or attachment during the pregnancy or childbirth and of course her tempestuous and perhaps neglectful relationship with Kevin as he grows up. The letters move between the present as she copes with her life 2 years post the incident, visiting Kevin twice a week in jail, the only stimulation in her otherwise routine and depressingly constricted life; and the past as she recounts the events leading up to the fateful Thursday that changed everything.
Eva’s self-flagellation and guilt is at times frustrating and often annoying. But it also raises the interesting topic of nature versus nurture. Did Kevin sense from the time of his conception that Eva was never really sure she wanted him, that she was never able to bond with him and truly love him? Or was he simply born bad and that no amount of good parenting was ever going to change that? It’s hard to say, perhaps a combination of both, but I was certainly surprised to find my feelings towards Eva changing throughout the book. Whatever the reason for Kevin’s behaviour, it is clear he was a conniving, malicious little boy. Almost from the minute he was born, he wore one personality for his mother (perhaps the truest one) and one for his father. Tormenting Eva with his games including; wearing diapers until the age of 6, refusing to speak even though he was capable, refusing to admit to her he could read or write, knowingly destroying her precious memories of travel and her life pre-child and of course the secret surrounding his broken arm; Kevin was an extremely intelligent boy who knew how to hide his smarts in order to get what he wanted. Franklin, the devoted father and the parent who had most wanted the child, never saw this side of Kevin. The brief glimpses he did get where explained away as “something all boys did” and his lack of support for and belief in his wife was truly heartbreaking to watch.
Despite her experiences with her first born, Eva elects to have a second child, if nothing else but to prove that Kevin truly is evil and not a product of her mothering. Perhaps not the best reason to have a child and when Celia arrives it is only a matter of time before something bad happens. A well behaved, albeit timid little girl, she is nothing like Kevin and as a result, completely adores him. Conceived secretly, Celia barely makes a dent in her father’s heart and is clearly her mother’s favourite and as a result, the target of Kevin’s torments. As little things begin to happen, Eva tries to believe that it isn’t Kevin. After all, why would Celia love a brother who does this to her, why would she protect him like this? It’s easy to see why and when a first-time babysitting job goes horrifically wrong it is devastating as the reader to watch it all unfold. The signs were all there, it was inevitable and Franklin’s complete disregard of what happened and worse still, his willingness to so readily blame his wife for these events had me fuming. I couldn’t understand why Franklin would act like this, how he could be so blind to what was going on around him. But surprisingly, another big source of my anger was with Eva. How she could have stayed and allowed these events to unfold. Why didn’t she just pick up her daughter and run. Run from the son who so clearly hated her and the husband who was detaching himself from a wife he openly admitted might be losing it. Eva does attempt to answer this question in her letters to Franklin, but her explanations are weak and I was left tearing my hair out at her excuses. Although in the interests of full disclosure, I have never carried, given birth too and raised a child – so perhaps I don’t fully understand the reasons for how she could stay? The only one whose behaviour was clear was Kevin; he simply hated life and hated his family, it was the only feeling he ever expressed. The only thing we didn’t know was why?
As the story leads up to the events of that Thursday, Eva becomes more and more aware of what her son might be capable of and more and more despondent at Franklin’s inability to see this. Despite these feelings, her first thought on hearing of the incident, is concern for Kevin’s safety. However when she learns he was in fact responsible, there is no surprise, only relief. Proof finally that it wasn’t her that was making this up, that Kevin really was bad. Of course this then opens up the question of blame, leading everyone to wonder, including Eva, if it was her that made him this way in the first place. Which makes you wonder why she continues to go and visit him at the jail? Sentenced to only 9 years for his crime, he is about to be moved to an adult jail to serve out the remaining 7, following his 18th birthday. How was it he only got 9 years in the first place for meticulously planning and then systematically killing 11 people (the lengths he went too are truly remarkable). Because this wasn’t just a few months of planning, this was years of Kevin setting the groundwork for what he was about to do. From the minute she broke his arm, when he had something over her, to his false relationship with his father, the bogus sexual assault claim, the request for Prozac, the purchase of the “bike chains” and his long-time love of archery – Kevin had been planning his moment of glory for years. It was no coincidence he committed this act just short of his 16th birthday when New York State would have tried and sentenced him as an adult.
There are several reasons for Eva’s continued torture of visiting her son. Firstly, a final twist from Kevin leaves her no other option. A twist that I don’t want to say any more about, but which I had expected and anticipated almost from the first page. Second, no matter what, there is a part of her that feels guilty. Guilty at the thought that she somehow created this monster – from her lack of bonding, her bad parenting or her being the only person to see the real Kevin yet doing nothing about it. Thirdly, it’s Kevin himself. Never once answering the question of why he did it in the first place; to the police, the councillors or the courts, he finally starts to open up to Eva. Whether this is just another one of his games, it’s hard to say – I suspect it probably is. A ploy to keep his mother close as he is about to enter the harsh world of the adult penitentiary, his honesty enables him to retain what he sees as his number one fan. And it’s partly and perhaps most importantly, because now, Kevin is all Eva has left. Despite her ambivalence over having him in the first place and her obvious resentment at the changes he brought to her life, when faced with nothing but Kevin, she has no other choice but to love him. And this is perhaps the saddest part about the whole book.
This is a confronting and thought provoking novel which Lionel struggled to get published in the first place. Touching on a wide range of topics including ambivalence to motherhood, post-natal depression, nature versus nurture, love versus like, family, guilt and whether you can ever truly know someone, Lionel poses numerous questions, yet never really forces answers upon the reader, preferring instead to leave you pondering these for yourself. Not least of all is the question regarding what made Kevin the way he is in the first place. Ironically it has turned out to be the book that made Lionel famous and won her the Orange Prize for fiction in 2005. A word of mouth following has seen We Need To Talk About Kevin smash best-seller lists around the world. The movie version (ironically touched on in the book too) has now been released. Starring Tilda Swinton (Eva), John C Reilly (Franklin) and Ezra Miller (Kevin), it has already won numerous awards. Having recently seen the movie, I will say I thought it missed the mark with many central themes from the book striving too hard to be "arthouse". And although John C Reilly was woefully miscast as Franklin, Tilda and Ezra were fantastic.
Double Fault (1997)
Willy Novinsky loves tennis - ever since she picked up a racket at four she has been determined to be the best, even though her family haven't been supportive of her passion. At 23 she is only ranked 392 in the world and has realised she is without friends or outside interests and has resorted to a disastrous love affair with her coach. Willy is underneath a good character; honest, intense, and fiercely intelligent. Willy meets Eric Oberdorf - a promising tennis player who is also ambitious and dedicated to his sport. Eric and Willy find themselves in love and marry. However this affects their professional careers; Willy plays badly yet Eric's game improves and he overtakes Willy in world rankings. The marriage starts to disintegrate through jealousy and a changing balance in their relationship.
This book provides a sad look behind the scenes of a marriage gone wrong due to selfishness.
A Perfectly Good Family (1996)
Corlis McCrea moves back from London into the family home after her parents death. It is a huge monolithic mansion in North Carolina, which was willed to all three siblings. Her younger fearful and decent brother still lives in the home (he never left) and soon her older iconoclastic older brother moves into into the home as well. They all want the house - so war ensues. Corlis is torn between which brother to form an allegiance (bit like a reality tv show).
This book opens the door on how inheritance can push the recipients over the edge. This book lacked the compelling nature of "Kevin", but she again captures the benevolence of characters and I did not like any of them. How can people be so repugnant and horrible, alas it is real life. You can see Shriver's writing style growing as she produces each book which bodes well for the future. The book is particially authobiographical and Shrivers acknowledges that her usual ring-fencing policy in relation to family and friends was slightly dented and she has since warned others against drawing too much from personal experience to the detriment of your family. She has since had extreme disagreements with her family about the book and her relationship with her parents has not fully recovered.
Game Control (1994)
Shriver writes books that are definately in the "difficult to discuss" or "unusual subject matter category" and this is another. I felt an affinity with part of this book. I am studying sustainable development and the constant quandary surrounding population control has me rethinking some of my own ethics. In Game Control, the central character is Eleanor Merritt, a typical do-good aid worker in Africa (Kenya to be specific) who tries to improve the lives of the poor, but in reality makes no dent in the underlying issues. She does however fall in love with Calvin Piper who has some very strong ideas on aid workers, population control and the future. Both Merritt and Piper start to suffer from compassion fatigue and in private wonder if the world would be a better place if poor people didn't require so much constant effort. I do struggle with the aid effort in Africa and how effective it really is, considering how long aid agencies have been working there.
This book at least provided a dark comedic look at how good intentions can be mistrued by others and the overarching intellectualism of Western ideals. This book had the usual dark witty undertones, but after reading Kevin and So Much for That, lacked their humour and wit.
Ordinary Decent Criminals (1992)
Well I am confused as I think this book is also The Bleeding Heart, just renamed. If anybody can provide any clarity, please contact us.
The Bleeding Heart (1990)
In each of the hot spots she favors around the world, Estrin Lancaster manages an apartment, a job, and a lover, leaving at the first sign of boredom. In a grim, violent Belfast circa 1988, she becomes involved with Farrell O'Phelan who also flees domesticity and is a cynical and pragmatic bomb specialist. They share a house on the line between Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods but although they have a romance it is unsatisfying as they share a horror of commitment. O'Phelan shares is views of the Irish Troubles and the novel involves Irish politics and the anguish of people who live through it.
Shriver's writing is outstandingly lucid and bright, with an original blend of American and Irish whimsical irony. Commanding both the sweep of Irish politics and the nuances of human relations, obviously based on the fact she lived in Ireland for 10 years.
Checker and the Derailleurs (1987)
Beautiful and charismatic, nineteen-year-old Checker Secretti is the most gifted and original drummer that the club-goers of Astoria, Queens, have ever heard. When he plays, conundrums seem to solve themselves, brilliant thoughts spring to mind, and couples fall in love. The members of his band, The Derailleurs, are passionately devoted to their guiding spirit, as are all who fall under Checker's spell. But when another drummer, Eaton Striker, hears the prodigy play, he is pulled inexorably into Checker's orbit by a powerful combination of envy and admiration. Soon The Derailleurs, too, are torn apart by latent jealousies that Eaton does his utmost to bring alive.
The Female of the Species (1986)
Still unattached and childless at fifty-nine, world-renowned anthropologist Gray Kaiser is seemingly invincible—and untouchable. Returning to make a documentary at the site of her first great triumph in Kenya, she is accompanied by her faithful middle-aged assistant, Errol McEchern, who has loved her for years in silence. When sexy young graduate assistant Raphael Sarasol.