Very good book, and I always think the conversations it provokes are very interesting.

I also believe Kevin was born that way, but you can definitely tell from his mother's personality that he inherited a few of her qualities. I like Eva as a protagonist, but she does come across as a bit cold, and lacking in empathy.

With a normal kid, the father's overzealousness might balance things out. But it seems Kevin had nothing but contempt for his father. And also anyone else who came across as sincere and loving, like his little sister.

I am contemplating whether Kevin might have turned out differently with two very warm, supportive parents, but I really don't think so. There's plenty of kids with a cold parent who don't turn out to be psychopaths. And vice versa. It's a tough call because I do think he could have inherited his lack of empathy from his mother, but there were a lot of other factors at play too.