Many moons ago, a group of us started a book club with great intentions. We would all read the same book, in the same period of time, and then have heated, intellectual discussions about said book.
However, with busy lives and different priorities, what started as a good idea soon grew into a tiresome exercise – that we soon gave up on.

Three weeks ago, a much smaller group were all sitting on a balcony, drinking wine and thought that it might be a good idea to give this whole ‘book club thing’ another shot.

One book read, one successful discussion down, and we are off to a good start.

Our first pick: We Need to Talk About Kevin.

What a book to begin with. It was a little difficult to get into, but by the half way mark, I could not put it down. Even though it was scaring me to death.
Written by Lionel Shriver, this book covers a series of letters written by Eva Katchadourian to her husband voicing her concern for their son, Kevin.
See, Kevin went into school one day, crossbow in hand, and shot 9 students, a teacher and a cafeteria worker.

I’m not going to review the book, other than to say it was very well written, made me question ideals that I usually wouldn’t, but also gave me the urge to play with some puppies in the sunshine after I had finished reading.

The four of us got together last night (with wine, delicious pork belly and lots of cake) to discuss. We questioned the book, challenged each other, voiced our curiosity about the reasons why people have children, began tangents that had to be pulled back in, and learnt a lot more together.
We also watched the movie, which gave me nightmares. Do not watch the movie. Unless you’re into arty, symbolic, alternative films with very little dialogue, that will leave you without answers or clarity.

The book is excellent, I would recommend it to anyone, as long as you follow it up with a Disney movie.
It was a great start to the book club, which I hope will continue as successfully.
Next up, Gone Girl. Which I have already devoured and cannot wait to talk about!