Only Child

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Only Child

By: Rhiannon Navin

Narrated by: Kivlighan De Montebello

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About this listen

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.

Family Life

Fiction

Genre Fiction

Psychological

Thriller & Suspense

Women's Fiction

Heartfelt

Scary

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Critic reviews

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

Authentic and moving

Grab hold of the tissues for a heartbreaking read that's full of compassion and insight

An emotional, heart-wrenching read for fans of We Need To Talk About Kevin

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

Completely felled me . . . Brilliantly heartbreaking

Sinks its hooks into you from the very first sentence

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

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

Told in the surprisingly mature voice of an unforgettable little boy, this tender novel about healing and family will tug at your heartstrings

Outstanding (Harlen Coben)

Heart-wrenching . . . [An] important and timely book

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

Hotly anticipated

Heartbreaking

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

Most relevant

I’m glad I chose this book and it is commendable for a first novel. Excellent writing, fast paced, gripping, incredibly moving and sad, with great narration. Told through the eyes of a six year old boy and beautifully done. One minor gripe is the implausibility of a few events and the blind selfishness of grieving characters, but I’m being picky here as the quality of plot, and great characters and description make this an unusual and unputdownable listen. Bring on another please Ms. Navin.