Only Child

Author Rhiannon Navin
Narrator Kivlighan de Montebello
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Run Time 9 hours and 10 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Family life fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Interior life, Narrative theme: Social issues, Psychological thriller.

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What to expect

Captivating . . . Will appeal to fans of Room, The Lovely Bones and The Fault in Our Stars' – Independent

Heartstopping. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming.

Compelling, compassionate and powerful, Rhiannon Navin's Only Child is the most heartfelt book you'll read this year.

We all went to school that Tuesday like normal. Not all of us came home.

When the unthinkable happens, six-year-old Zach is at school. Huddled in a cloakroom with his classmates and teacher, he is too young to understand that life will never be the same again.

Afterwards, the once close-knit community is left reeling. Zach's dad retreats. His mum sets out to seek revenge. Zach, scared, lost and confused, disappears into his super-secret hideout to try to make sense of things. Nothing feels right – until he listens to his heart . . .

But can he remind the grown-ups how to love again?

Narrated by Zach, Only Child is full of heart; a real rollercoaster of a read that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

Critics Review

Captivating . . . Will appeal to fans of Room, The Lovely Bones and The Fault in Our Stars
Independent
Authentic and moving
Irish Times
Grab hold of the tissues for a heartbreaking read that’s full of compassion and insight
Woman & Home
An emotional, heart-wrenching read for fans of We Need To Talk About Kevin
The Pool
Heart-wrenching and intelligent, and so very moving and insightful about a family in crisis
Kate Eberlen, author of Miss You
Powerful . . . Will appeal to fans of Emma Donoghue’s Room
Good Housekeeping
Completely felled me . . . Brilliantly heartbreaking
Lucy Diamond
Sinks its hooks into you from the very first sentence
Marie Claire (US)
An amazing voice . . . Powerful and wise and healing
Rachael Lucas, author of Wildflower Bay
Devastating. Unsentimental. Honest. Beautiful. Everyone should read
Penny Hancock, author of Tideline
Zach, at only 6 years old, understands more about the human heart than the broken adults around him. His hope and optimism . . . will have every reader cheering him on, and believing in happy endings even in the face of tragedy
Washington Post
An astonishing debut
Publishers Weekly
Powerful . . . A careful examination of the way one boy and his parents, and their community, struggle to survive — and stay together — after the worst has happened
USA Today
Told in the surprisingly mature voice of an unforgettable little boy, this tender novel about healing and family will tug at your heartstrings
Sunday Post
Outstanding
Harlen Coben
Heart-wrenching . . . [An] important and timely book
Booklist
Innocence trumps violence
Sloane Crosley, Vanity Fair
Like Emma Donoghue’s Room, Navin’s debut takes the risk of narrating a modern tragedy in the voice of a very young player . . . A powerful exercise in empathy and perspective
Kirkus
Hotly anticipated
Glamour
Heartbreaking
The Sun Chronicle
Through Zach’s eyes, we watch a mother become consumed by her anger, and a father begin to retreat . . . Zach embarks on a mission to ease his parents’ sadness, though the reader knows that only time can do that . . . Sweetly rendered
NY Times

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Only Child

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