We Need to Talk About Kevin

Eva used to consider herself a good person, but after having Kevin, she starts to question whether she really is. She has always been afraid of losing Franklin, but, though Eva doesn’t understand why, she also fears that if she does lose him, she will not be upset. Eva recalls a surprise birthday party her mother threw when Eva was 10. Eva knew her family was planning the party, and she let her excitement build up. When her birthday came, the party disappointed Eva. Eva, in the present, knows that no matter what her mother planned, any birthday party would have been disappointing because Eva’s expectations were too high— she was imagining something unimaginable.  This is how Eva feels after giving birth, too.

Eva doesn’t have anything specific in mind regarding how it will feel to hold Kevin for the first time, but she expects an intensity of emotion that will change her life. She thinks having a baby will feel similar to traveling to a new country. When Eva finally holds Kevin for the first time, he seems uncomfortable and disinterested, and he refuses to breastfeed. Eva feels empty. When Franklin holds Kevin, Kevin seems much more at ease, and Franklin looks blissful. Eva feels bored by Kevin. Franklin thinks that Eva has a harmful tendency to always seek out new and exciting experiences, and that these experiences always fall short of her expectations. Eva’s lack of feelings for her child angers and upsets her. She promises herself never to reveal to anyone how empty childbirth left her feeling.

In the present, Eva goes to her office Christmas party. She is grateful for her coworkers’ company, and she feels lucky to have the job at all because people tend to avoid Eva ever since the day of Kevin’s murders (she refers to this day simply as Thursday). Eva’s boss, Wanda, asks Eva if she is in counseling. Eva doesn’t think that therapy can help her, but she finds it helpful to write these letters to Franklin. Eva doesn’t like the American tendency to label every emotional state as a mental illness, and she thinks back to when she was diagnosed with postnatal depression.

After Eva gives birth to Kevin, Dr. Rhinestein, Eva’s doctor, says that Eva’s depression might partially be due to Kevin’s refusal to breastfeed. Eva does feel that Kevin rejects her, though she’s embarrassed to feel this way. She goes on a very strict diet to help Kevin breastfeed, but it doesn’t work. Kevin seems disgusted by Eva’s breastmilk. Eva gives up many of her favorite foods and is miserable. Kevin only consumes formula, and he only accepts the formula from Franklin. Eva thinks that the problem isn’t that Kevin doesn’t like breastmilk, but rather that he doesn’t like Eva. She convinces herself that Kevin is a precocious infant and can see that Eva doesn’t enjoy interacting with him, though she tries to hide it. 

Eva tries to form a genuine connection with Kevin, but the more she tries, the worse she feels. She disappoints herself and Franklin by not feeling attached to Kevin. Eva and Franklin think of Kevin in very different terms. Whereas Eva thinks of him as an individual, Franklin often refers to him as “the baby” instead of calling him by his name. Eva thinks that Franklin’s focus on the fact that Kevin is his son, rather than on Kevin’s particular traits, keeps Franklin devoted to Kevin even when he is difficult. Eva always thinks in particularities—she has devotions to certain places around the world, and she has eclectic political opinions. On the other hand, Franklin thinks in concepts and generalities. He devotes himself to the idea of patriotism, and he is an overall religious person.

Kevin screams in anger all day when he is alone with Eva, but he stops when Franklin comes home. Tension builds between Eva and Franklin as Franklin doesn’t believe Eva’s reports of Kevin’s behavior. Eva thinks Kevin is trying to divide the couple on purpose. Eva stays home with Kevin for six months and gives him everything he needs, but she can never do anything to make him stop screaming—he seems angry to be alive. One day, Eva feels ill. When Franklin comes home, he thinks Eva is exaggerating her symptoms and becomes angry with her. He only takes Eva seriously when he sees that she can barely walk and that her temperature reads 104.