I loved We Need to Talk About Kevin but it is an intense psychological thriller and I can see how it would be an uncomfortable read if you need “likable” characters. It does a terrific job of interrogating the question of nature v nurture: Was Kevin born a bad seed or was she a depressed and emotionally unavailable mother who create him through neglect and abuse? It offers no pat answers and I respect a book that leaves me contemplating. I had no issue with Lionel Shriver’s vocabulary.