She Needed Me

by Walter Kirn

When Weaver Walquist tries to dissuade Kim Lindgren from having an abortion, he agrees to help her through the pregnancy and the two youngsters fall in love during the process

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Walter Kirn is a regular reviewer for The New York Times Book Review, and his work appears in The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Time, New York, GQ and Esquire. He is the author of six previous works of fiction: My Hard Bargain: Stories, She Needed Me, Thumbsucker, Up in the Air, Mission to America and The Unbinding. Kirn is a graduate of Princeton University and attended Oxford on a scholarship from the Keasby Foundation. "

Reviews

[Angelique Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Needed Me is a book about faith. Faith in god, religion, faith in others, and faith in yourself.


I nodded, encouraged. "Faith is the answer." Kim said, "I meant in people, not God. God you don't have to have faith in: he's perfect."


Walter Kirn grabs the attention of the reader from the very beginning with a story of love, loss and acceptance. We meet the two main characters in the first chapter, Weaver and Kim. They become friends after going through a difficult experience together. Their relationship is complex and troubled, but they find a way to make peace with the fact that despite it all, they seem to have met at the right time in their lives. Although Weaver's personal beliefs are different from those of Kim, they learn from each other and bond in a remarkable way. They help one another build confidence, self esteem and overcome a few obstacles that seem to be holding them back.

As the story continues, the love between Weaver and Kim grows. Weaver supports Kim with one of the biggest decisions of her adult life. He seems to go above and beyond to make her comfortable and content while sabotaging his own personal life and career. Many aspects and dynamics of relationships are addressed in this novel. Walter makes the characters feel like your old friends who you are rooting for in the background as you wait and watch the story unfold. He has a natural and easy style of writing that flows smoothly over the pages. The cast of characters Weaver and Kim interact with throughout the book seem to be chosen specifically to create subtle plot twists, intriguing dialogue, and to show us how our relationships with others overlap and intertwine. Thus, creating dynamics that can be sometimes less than ideal. Weaver struggles to navigate these courses and somehow manages to succeed in the end.

She Needed Me touches on topics and important matters from this specific time period that are still relevant to our current days. The influence of society, our peers, and pop culture will always be an area of debate. Religion and the talk of God has often been divisive. Walter is able to show us a world where people can get along despite their differences. He showcases the fact that people need each other, and that it's an honorable duty to be there when people need you.

Walter offers a slice of life that is honest and relatable. The reader is given the option, and opportunity, to cast judgment or to offer compassion for the hardships the characters endure. I think, after reading this book, you might learn something about yourself. Although the story is humble in words, it offers a connection that is genuine and timeless.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I have ever read in my life. I read it years ago as an early twenty something because I wanted to delve into Gen X literature. Big mistake. I trudged through this pathetic excuse for a story with zero payoff and a massive regret at the time I wasted. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

[M. Sarki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago and didn't like it. It is actually the kind of book that I can barely stand to even have sitting on my shelf. My motto now is if amazon.com can't take it, Goodwill can. Rarely do I like a Walter Kirn review, and I have tried.

[k e · Rating 1 out of 5]

While there were some moments of clarity, for the most part, it seemed more like the author was stoned while writing this novel. Took a potentially good story and made it pedestrian. The ending was like a slap-in-the-face to the reader. I believe I've now had my fill of Kirn's efforts.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Kirn as a writer and there are some fine moments here, but I think he's more effective in short fiction.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up from a used book sale back in 1995 or 1996 and thought it was just fantastic. This was before the internet, and I had no idea at the time that Kirn was a hip author with any kind of following. Or maybe he wasn’t hip back then, but I’ve just discovered that a couple of his books have been made into movies starring George Clooney and Keanu Reeves, so seems like he did okay in the interim.

It’s hard to judge a book you loved as a kid and are re-reading as an adult. It’s possible I’m being too generous with my rating due to nostalgia. But I love how Kirn’s writing is both simple and also heavy with implications about the past and future. The novel’s protagonist is so committed to his world view that he acknowledges nothing about himself or his predicament that might lead him to question his creed, and it’s in those unspoken, unacknowledged, unaddressed realities where we get a clear view of what’s going on and where it’s headed. This was great reading for a rebellious Catholic school girl, and I still enjoyed it today as an adult.