DISUK Book Club -Too Close to Home, Linwood Barclay

[dolphingirl47]

I think I have a copy of "We need to talk about Kevin" somewhere. I better find this.

Corinna

 

[wideeyes]

For anyone who is a fan and lives in the Manchester area, I saw today while there that Jodi Picoult is doing a book signing at Boarders in Stockport on the 4th May at 4pm, I recalled that she is one of the authors mentioned on here as being a fave so thought I would mention it.

My sister met Jacqueline Wilson at the same store a few years ago.

 

[Dimplenose]

My sister met Jacqueline Wilson at the same store a few years ago.

She is fairly local to where I live - a friend and her daughter queued for hours at a book shop to get her autograph.

The saddest signing I saw was about 25 years ago in Rackhams in Birmingham where Alan Wicker was signing his book - but there wasn't a soul waiting to see him.

 

[natalielongstaff]

The saddest signing I saw was about 25 years ago in Rackhams in Birmingham where Alan Wicker was signing his book - but there wasn't a soul waiting to see him.

 

[scotlass]

Has anyone bought used books from Amazon ?

We must talk about Kevin is only 1p (£2.75 postage)

 

[Dimplenose]

Just a little bump in case anyone else wishes to join in.

 

[Dimplenose]

I'm giving this a last bump. Discussions begin at the end of next week.

Any ideas on how to run the discussion would be welcome - do we want to just each write a review and see if any discussion points come up or do we want to be more focussed?

There were some questions for book clubs at the back of my copy - we could start with those or just use them as a backup if we run out of things to say. Let me know what you think.

 

[natalielongstaff]

There were some questions for book clubs at the back of my copy - we could start with those .

that sounds good to me

 

[dolphingirl47]

I also like the idea of using the questions at the end of the book as a starting point for our discussion. I should finish the book over the weekend.

Corinna

 

[Dimplenose]

I'm a day early but I have time to post right now so I'm going to open May's discusiion now.

I think it would be good to start with a brief outline of how you liked the book or not.

Then we can continue with the questions that are at the end of the paperback copy. I'll post one a day for the next few days, but do feel free to answer at any time and in any order (I hope that make sense.) If this doesn't work or if anyone can think of a better way to hold "meetings" please let me know.

The first question is
"Was Kevin just born wicked, or is his cold heart the inevitable consequence of an unaffectionate mother? Does the novel answer this question? And do you think the answer to this clasic "nature verses nurture" debate - whether character is formed by one's environment or is innate - has to be one or the other?"

 

[Dimplenose]

Here are my first general thoughts about the novel.

I’m not really sure how to start writing about this book as I had such mixed feelings about it.

My first shock was finding out that Lionel Shriver is a woman! (Ironic that the previous book I’d been reading was Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh.)

As a piece of writing I didn’t like “We Need to Talk about Kevin”. I found it too full of words I didn’t know (so many that I stopped looking them up and just read around them to get the gist of the meaning) and expressions I didn’t understand – probably very clear to American readers but a mystery to me. I also found that the sentence structure was awkward (again probably due to it being American English) and I frequently had to reread sentences – sometimes out loud – to know what Lionel Shriver had meant. Together these irritations led to a rather stilted read.

After about 50 pages I had decided that I definitely didn’t like this book but then I realised that I was actually getting very emotional about the characters. My sympathy swung quite violently between Eva and Franklin (and later between the children) so I must admit that Shriver certainly had a great power over me as a reader.

 

[dolphingirl47]

It took me ages to get into it. For the first 200 pages I only stuck it out because I had committed myself to it. After that I could not put the book down. This is not a book I would have chosen to read if it had not been for this thread, but I am glad that I did.

As to the question, normally I am weighing in on the nurture side of the nature versus nurture debate, but this book kind of changed my mind. So I think the answer to the last part of the question is that a personally of a person can be formed by a mixture of nature and nurture. I don't think that the book really answers the question if Kevin was born evil or turned evil due to things going on in his life. As the story is told from the point of view of Eva, there is really no way to settle this. However, I had the feeling that Kevin was evil from the beginning. Although I am aware that it was Eva who told the stories and she might have altered them to fit her purpose, she was not the only one who noticed that Kevin had a nasty streak. Even good natured Siobhan gave up in the end. I think that Eva was so cold towards Kevin, because he did have a pronounced evil streak right from the beginning. She proved that she had a very loving side with Celia.

Corinna

 

[natalielongstaff]

I agree with both of you ! initially i hated the book and yes it was hard to understand the writings meaning in places.

i also swung between how i felt for the characters but in the end i came to dislike both kevin and his mum, i felt that Evelyn made it clear from a young age how much she despised kevin and this helped contribute to the angry boy he became.

I also found it hard to like hid dad as he came across as a bit spineless !

ooh i sound rather harsh now

 

[Dimplenose]

I also found that the book became more readableat page 200. (Page 150 is usually my absolute limit before I abandon a book so if it wasn't for this book club I would have never finished it.)

The nature verses nurture debate always seems a question that can never be answered fully. Kevin being a fictional character makes this even more difficult to decide. I do think he had some innate problem which caused problems with social situations and relationships. I don't think his mother's coldness towards him helped at all but I feel he would have had problems anyway.

 

[natalielongstaff]

I don't think his mother's coldness towards him helped at all but I feel he would have had problems anyway.

i agree, even as a small child he had some serious issues relating to relationships with others

 

[higgy66]

Hi

I have to confess I haven't fnished the book and to be honest this is the first book that I've ever struggled to get into. Far too many words used which makes it confusing and I don't think it flows well.

However, after reading the comments above I will persevere and then look back at your comments.

Please tell me this months is going to be easier

 

[jen_uk]

The first time I read the book I hated it for the first few chapters but then when I got used to the style it was written it I couldn't put it down. Being a psychology teacher I loved the nature/nurture debate in the book, I started off thinking that Kevil must have been born evil but by the end I coudn't help thinking his mum made him the way he was. She didn't like being pregnant and I thinkeven as a young child Kevin picked up on her dislike for him. I found the shooting really shocking, I can't imagine living in a country where this actually happens.

 

[joolz1910]

The first time I read the book I hated it for the first few chapters but then when I got used to the style it was written it I couldn't put it down. Being a psychology teacher I loved the nature/nurture debate in the book, I started off thinking that Kevil must have been born evil but by the end I coudn't help thinking his mum made him the way he was. She didn't like being pregnant and I thinkeven as a young child Kevin picked up on her dislike for him. I found the shooting really shocking, I can't imagine living in a country where this actually happens.

Very Freudian, Jen.

 

[natalielongstaff]

Please tell me this months is going to be easier

I hope so, im hoping to get my copy in Leicester on Monday

 

[Dimplenose]

I hope so, im hoping to get my copy in Leicester on Monday

I bought mine on offer in Tesco. (£3.75 I think.)