School shootings have become a sad fact of American life. What could bring a teenager — a child — to commit such a terrible act of rage? To kill any number of his teachers and fellow students? The students involved often kill themselves. But even when they don’t, answers aren’t forthcoming. Who can explain a human being doing something so inhumane?
Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel “We Need to Talk About Kevin” offered one scenario: It focused on the mother of a teenager who went on a rampage. She felt like her child came out of the womb a villain. But Shriver also suggested that the mother’s mixed feelings about having a child might have had something to do with the murderer he became — a controversial theory, to say the least.
Recommended Stories
Print subscriber? Click here to login/register your account
Digital subscriber? Click here to login/register your account.