We Need to Talk About Kevin Chapter 24: March 11, 2001 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • After more arguments about school shootings, Franklin and Eva wonder if there are any unstable kids at Kevin's school. You know, besides their own son.
  • Schools across the country are overreacting, and Kevin's own school does a locker search.
  • In one kid's locker, they find a hit list labeled "THEY ALL DESERVE TO DIE" (24.108). Subtle.
  • The hit list prompts Eva to think about how un-weird her son is. Cruel, maybe, but he seems to do all he can to not stand out as a weirdo at school.
  • One day, while Kevin is at school, Eva decides to snoop in his room.
  • The room is immaculate. No posters. Nothing strange. It's like a prison cell. (At least we know Kevin is probably comfortable in jail.)
  • Eva notices computer disks with weird labels: "Nostradamus." "I Love You." "D4-X."
  • Eva takes one disk and puts it into her computer, not realizing it's a virus.
  • Oops.
  • Eva takes the disk to her office to have someone there look at it, and it wipes out everyone's computer on the network.
  • This calls for a word stronger than oops.
  • But Eva doesn't get mad at Kevin. He didn't do it on purpose.
  • Eva does ask him about the disks.
  • Kevin says he collects viruses, and if she ever has someone she doesn't like, he can wipe out that person's computer for her.
  • Aww, that's sweet. Mother-son bonding.