W for We need to talk about Kevin (2022 A-Z)

 

“Kayla,” she says, I sense the tension before she even speaks, “there’s been a shooting. At the school.”

My worst nightmare comes true. I feel a chill in my bones. Did Lucas get hit?

“Any news about …?” I hesitate, scared.

“Just that they have the shooter in custody,” she replies.

I jump at the shrill ring of the phone, answering it with trembling fingers.

“Mrs. Donaldsen? Emerson PD. I need you to come in. Stat.”

“Is … is Lucas ok?”

“We have him in custody.”

It takes me a minute to realize I was wrong about my worst nightmare.

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Click here for the entire 2022 A-Z Collection

We need to talk about Kevin, by Lionel Shriver is a masterpiece. Just before his sixteenth birthday, Kevin kills 7 fellow students, a cafeteria worker, and a teacher. How does a mother deal with something like that? From questioning her own ambivalence about having a child, her upbringing and the child’s inherent devilish thought process (recollect the kid from Omen) which the father refuses to acknowledge, this book is smack in the middle of the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate. The actual event still manages to shock you even though you knew it was coming. If you’re a non-reader, or someone who’s just starting to read, watch the movie instead. The book is heavy – on the language, on the emotion, on the girth. IF YOU’RE A READER, DO NOT LET THIS ONE GO. It’s literally goosebumps.

I have written this 100-word flash fiction for the 2022 Edition of the Blogging A-Z Challenge, a blogging event held every April. Click here to read more on the challenge! My chosen theme for this year is flash fiction driven book recommendations. Whether or not you are a book reader, you would enjoy the flash fiction. And if you’re participating as well, do leave your blog site in the comments!