The film adaptation was seemingly difficult since the book does not naturally lend itself to adaptation. The novel paid off and became a critical success.

However, the author listened to her heart while publishing the book and went with her intuition. The country has an uneasy relation with school shootouts, and therefore the novel profoundly moves American readers. The massacre is not based on any particular incident but is a generic indictment of school shootings. Apart from that, the story erupts in a visceral school massacre. The novel, as well as the cinematic adaptation, are not certainly everyone’s cup of tea, as they comment upon a grave societal taboo – a mother disliking her own son.

Publishers rejected the novel on many grounds – some thought Kevin to be too monstrous and Eva to be “unattractive” as a wife and a mother. Interestingly, the author stumbled upon the name Kevin Khatchadourian in a telephone directory. Devoid of any publicity, the book became a cult classic through word of mouth of the readers. A small but daring publishing house called Serpent’s Tail put their faith in the story. Shriver understandably felt that the consensus after 9/11 was that “Americans would never read or watch anything violent again.” The author took it to 30 different British publishing houses before finding the right one. When the author came up with the novel, many thought it to be too dark and menacing to sell well in post 9/11 America. The writer-director based the screenplay on the eponymous 2005 Orange Prize-winning novel by American author Lionel Shriver. Director Lynne Ramsay has penned the screenplay herself, with some help from her writer-musician ex-husband, Rory Stewart Kinnear. To put it simply, a true-crime incident involving a disturbed juvenile doesn’t fuel the narrative of this psychological thriller film. No, ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ is not based on a true story. Is We Need to Talk About Kevin Based on A True Story? In that case, allow us to divulge what we know. So naturally, you may seek to know whether the movie lies in the realm of reality. The ending of the movie is damning, to say the least. Miller acts with a tinge of menace to portray the titular character on screen. Apart from the mind-bending story, the film shall be remembered as Ezra Miller’s breakout success.

Critics also took note of the powerful performances by the cast ensemble, with the obvious highlights of Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller.

We need to talk about kevin author