Eva Khatchadourian writes a series of letters to her estranged husband, Franklin, following a mass murder committed by their teenage son, Kevin, at his high school. Through these retrospective accounts, Eva examines her ambivalent feelings regarding motherhood and her immediate dislike of Kevin from infancy. She details years of domestic manipulation, Kevin’s calculated hostility toward her, and the persistent denial Franklin maintained regarding their son’s sociopathic behavior. The narrative centers on the tension between maternal instinct and the reality of raising a child who displays no empathy or remorse.
This book targets readers interested in the psychological origins of violence and the internal dynamics of fractured families. It attracts those who want to examine the nature versus nurture debate through a lens of parental culpability and social isolation. Readers finish the story with an unfiltered perspective on how parental resentment and domestic blindness can coexist within a suburban tragedy. It provides a technical look at the psychological toll of maternal regret and the aftermath of a school shooting on the perpetrator's family.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2003
- Language
- EN
