Why you should definitely read some Lionel Shriver Books...

I just finished reading We Need To Talk About Kevin. This was my second time of reading it after a ten year gap and I was still blown away by it. This is probably Shriver's most famous book and it won the Orange Prize in 2005.

I'm sure you have all seen this meme before

but it completely sums up how I felt when I had finished reading this novel. So many thoughts and questions continue to circle around my head.....

The book is written as a series of letters from Eva to her estranged husband where she looks back on their family life after their son, Kevin, has killed 9 people in a massacre at his school, asking herself if she is to blame. Bleak, yes, but also wonderful. It confronts fears about parenting head on and the central premise of the book is for the reader decide whether Kevin was innately evil, or whether Eva's attitude to her son turned him into a killer. Very powerful and truly frightening.

I believe this is a book that everyone should read and Shriver's writing is exceptional. 

Her prose is sharp, acerbic and deliberately provocative, but also highly intelligent. She has a huge vocabulary and chooses words with the utmost care. I am constantly rereading passages or reaching for the dictionary but this does not detract from her message, or the reader's enjoyment, but rather enhances it. Reading her work makes me feel more intelligent and makes me appreciate the scope and beauty of the English language so much more.

Whilst I feel that We Need To Talk About Kevin is her best work I have also read and enjoyed 3 of her other novels and while they are all vastly different in subject matter they all share the trademark acerbic writing, incredible command of the English language and provocative, thought provoking topics. She is not afraid to confront unpalatable subjects head on and the result is always powerful and memorable. 

The Post Birthday World opens with a dilemma for its central character Irina. Should she stay with Lawrence, her dependable but slightly dull long term partner, or embark on a relationship with Ramsey, a famous professional snooker player? Then the novel splits into two, with alternate chapters documenting her life if she stays with Lawrence, followed by her life if she decides to leave him. The result is utterly compelling - sometimes humorous, often uncomfortable but always intimate and emotionally involving. The novel examines relationships and how our romantic choices affect every detail of lives. In this book the subject matter is a little lighter than in the others I am recommending, but it will still draw you in and leave you thinking about these characters in every spare moment you have and it still packs a powerful punch.

Game Control deals with the difficult and emotive issue of human overpopulation of the Earth. The central character is Eleanor, an American aid worker in Kenya, concerned with handing out contraception and contraceptive advice to Kenyan women. She embarks on a relationship with Calvin, whose unconventional and provocative ideas on population control got him fired from USAID. The clash in ideals between these characters makes for interesting reading and relationship development. This is the most shocking and least politically correct of her novels that I have read, but again it is so well written that you cannot help but be drawn in - and learn about demographics and epidemiology along the way. This is an acerbic look at the parts of human nature that most people prefer to ignore. Lionel Shriver is indeed a very brave author. 

So Much For That documents the marriage of Shep and Glynis and how it copes with a terminal illness in one of the parties. It sounds depressing, but it isn't. Shriver manages to discuss terminal illness, suicide, shattered dreams and crumbling relationships with wit and even humour. It is also a political commentary on healthcare in the USA and left me feeling profoundly grateful for the NHS. I realise it doesn't sound like a great read, but trust me on this one. And again, Shriver's writing is pitch perfect. Read it.

Lionel Shriver is a truly gifted writer. You need writing of this quality in your life. Trust me. Read, enjoy and tell me what you think. And if you have your own favourite Lionel Shriver novels, please tell me about them in the comments section.