Your basket is empty.
-
- Books
A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick.
Compelling, compassionate and powerful, Rhiannon Navin's Only Childwill stay with you long after you've turned the final page.
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?
'Captivating . . . Will appeal to fans of Room, The Lovely Bones and The Fault in Our Stars' – Independent
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781509855605
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 278 g
Dimensions: 196 x 129 x 25 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
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 - Harlan 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
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
Heartbreaking - The Sun Chronicle
You may also be interested in...
“A must read for all fans of contemporary fiction.”
This is such a powerful, hard-hitting and poignant novel that tackles some incredibly difficult issues with sensitivity. Zach, a 6yr old boy beset by loneliness, is our narrator and through his eyes we get to see the... More
“A heartbreaking read”
An absolutely heartbreaking book about a school shooting and its aftermath all from the point of view of a 6-year-old boy, Zach. Zach survives the shooting, huddled in a classroom cupboard with his classmates, but his... More
“Only Child”
Six-year-old Zach Taylor’s story starts on the worst day of his life, a day when a lone gunman bursts into his elementary school and kills nineteen people, both staff and students. Zach survives the attack by hiding... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?