Seven year old Zach Taylor’s world changes forever when his brother is killed in a mass shooting. As his parents struggle to cope with their grief, Zach finds his own ways of dealing with his loss. A beautiful story that is as much about forgiveness and family as it is about loss. I can’t guarantee you won’t cry, but you certainly won’t forget Only Child in a hurry.

My goodness. What a read. I started to read this story after the most recent shooting in a school. A very poignant, moving and compelling read. The thoughts and feelings of a young child so brilliantly portrayed. A must read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
A tragic school shooting where there are many fatalities most of which are children The narrator of the story is six year old Zach, his ten year old brother Andy is one of the victims. Zach tells the story of how his family deal with this horrendous tragedy, his mothers constant crying to begin with and then her anger, his dad not always being there and his own many different feelings, embarrassed, mad, sympathy and especially how lonely he feels.
When his parents actually stop and take time to listen to Zach they are able to figure out that they need yo work through their grief and emotions together as a family unit in order to survive.
I’m not sure if a six year old would have this much insight though. 3.5 stars

Absolutely loved this book, just couldn’t put it down. It’s a heartbreaking story told by 7 year old Zach about the aftermath of his 10 year old brother Andy’s murder. The anguish this little boy is experiencing is portrayed in a sensitive but explicit way by the author.

An incredibly moving story. I wanted to step into the pages and give the little boy a hug. It felt like all the adults around him weren@t thinking about what he was going through.

This novel is one of my favourites so far this year and it's hard to believe that this is the author's first. Such talent! There's already many reviews giving an outline of what the story is about, so can only say that this is a must read book. I wasn't expecting to find myself having to reach for the tissue box near the end. I shall be watching out for more books by this author. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Negalley and the Publishers for my copy.

I struggled to put this book down for a break as I was so caught up in Zach's story and his amazing efforts to normalise his family life following the tragic events at his school. The author's approach was reminiscent of Emma Donahue's writing in 'Room' in that the story is told through the voice of a young boy. I was overwhelmed with sadness at times but, in the end, it turned out to be quite uplifting to observe how Zach helped his parents to come to terms with their loss. Thoroughly recommended.

we meet 6 year old zach on the worst day of his life and every parents worst nightmare. I was instantly engrossed in this book. As a mother of a 7 year old ( also a 13 year old) the story and voice of zach completely resonated with me.
I sobbed pretty much the whole way through this book, for zach, for his parents and for many of the central characters in this book.
Navin cleverly uses the voice of a child and the innocence that brings to tell us a heartbreaking tale.
I don’t want to spoil the story as it is so well told.
It’s a heartbreakingly raw tale of grief and the aftermath. The release of this book couldn’t be any more poignant coming after another school shooting in America.
I would highly recommend this book it’s been a long time since I read a book that touched me this deeply. The voice of zach will stay with me for a long time. I’ve since bought copies for friends.

This book was amazing, I was in tears reading this book and this is not something that happens very often.

The majority of the story is told through Zach. a six year old boy who experiences a mass shooting in his school. This book deals with the aftermath of the shooting and how it effects both Zach and his immediate family. This book is not for the fainthearted but not one that should be missed. I read this book just after news of a shooting in Florida happened in a school whereby several people lost their lives. This book bought home the dangers that young people in the U.S face. There is a whole political and moral argument contained witin this book. Who is to blame? Why are they to blame? How the hell did a young man obtain such an arsenal of weapons? Sadly these are real questions being faced by schools in the US.

I will heartily recommend this book. Last book that made me cry was Sleepers and that was 20 years ago so definitely one to pull on the heart strings and bring sadness but please do not let this put you off what is an absolutely great read.

I was slightly wary about this book, having seen comparisons to Room, as I seem to be one of the few people who didn't enjoy that book. I needn't have worried - this book was brilliantly written and very topical, especially in light of the recent events in Florida. I loved the narrator, Zach, a seven year old boy and just wanted to hug him - and it was such a lovely ending. Highly recommended.

This is a weird one for me. I cant remember exactly why I picked this book, I don't remember reading the blurb I just know that when I sat down to read it I knew nothing about what to expect. So when I was confronted with Zach hiding in the closet at school with his teacher and classmates and quickly realised what was happening and I almost stopped reading. Almost.

It's clear that Zach is much younger than your usual narrator and to begin with I worried that using such a young narrator wouldn't do the story justice. What I wasn't expecting was for Zach's voice to add an extra layer of emotion to an already emotional book. Zach's young age meant that he wasnt always able to understand fully what was happening in a scene, however the reader is painfully aware, long before Zach is, as to the horror that has befallen his family. But its Zach's lack of adult understanding that makes this book, his childs way of seeing the world and often times the truth of a situation that sometimes an adult just cant see.

This book drew me in and didn't let go until I had devoured every page. This is an outstanding debut novel for Navin and i look forward to reading more from her in the future.

This story is perhaps even more relevant after the events in Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida a few days ago. Yet another horrific mass murder in a school.

I have to admit, a few pages in and the tears came. It’s his voice, his innocent little voice robbed of his childhood as the sound of unimaginable horror, violence and destruction rolls towards him through the school corridors.

His days of worry-free play ripped from him as he cowers in a school closet knowing his world is changing forever, and yet at the same time not knowing how or why.

The reader follows his grief, guilt and confusion in the wake of his personal loss. It’s hard to feel sad when all you remember is the anger. It’s even harder when you don’t understand the concept of loss and death.

I think what really pulls at the heartstrings isn’t the loss per se, but rather the neglect of the child who survives. Mother and father are too engrossed in their own personal problems to pay attention to Zach. Feeding him, noticing his bed-wetting or when he disappears for hours. Zach becomes an invisible victim of the assault.

Barring a few moments when six-year-old Zach sounds and thinks like an adult, Navin does an excellent job of keeping the dialogue and narrative at the level of a six-year-old child throughout the book. The author shows the full range of emotions a family in this situation goes through, especially the anger and the thirst for revenge. A heinous event like this leaves permanent wounds and scarring.

It is an emotional and poignant read. The last few chapters made the tears trickle again, perhaps because the whole idea is painful and makes me feel powerless. On the other hand it’s because Navin captures the essence of this child and the emotional turmoil so well. It’s an upsetting yet extremely beautiful read.

With gun uptake on the rise, this story tells the heartbreaking tale of the aftermath of a shooting in a primary school.

Zach is in school that fateful day a gunman opens fire.

The story is told from his point of view. The devastating impact on those around him. The heartbreaking reality on one reckless man's decisions.

This book goes straight into my top 10 for 2018. If there's a book you read this spring, make sure it's this one.

Perfect for fans of Room.

If there is one book you read this year, please let it be Only Child. I’ve been sat for a while thinking about how I can do a review that actually does this book justice.

We start the story with Zach, a six year old boy, hiding in his classroom closet with his classmates and teacher whilst a gunman decimates the school and those within it. When Zach is finally released and with his mum, we find out that his older brother Andy has been killed. We follow Zach and his family in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy.

This story is one that is very hard to read, but oh so very important as the topic is right on point.
It is Zach who is our narrator for the story. Navin is a clever writer as normally I’m not a huge fan of children being the narrator of an adult book (with the exception of Donoghue’s Room), but she has done this brilliantly. Zach struggles to process his experience and feelings. Seeing his parents fall apart in grief doesn’t give him any guidance on how to deal with it himself and so he deals with it the best he can.

Zach’s honesty and black and white way of looking at things is incredibly refreshing. He does not pretend his brother was perfect. He remembers both good and bad, where as the adults tend to gloss over the non favourable aspects of Andy (as everyone does with grief). However he has flashbacks to the shooting and begins wetting the bed. I became rather angry with his mum and dad for not acknowledging this or their lack of interest in helping Zach to cope with the huge ordeal that he is also going through. They don’t even talk to him about his experience. Then I reminded myself that they are inconsolable with grief, and often the things right in front of your face you cannot see, let alone deal with.

Having a young child narrate such a very adult theme is ingenious. Whilst it’s the adults that have to ultimately deal with the tidal wave of grief in practical as well as emotional terms, it’s incredibly easy to overlook the young ones that are deeply affected by this. Not that there is any blame game to be had, and the rage that Zach’s mum felt and acted upon were entirely understandable, but children are often unable to express their feelings and grief in an articulate way and as such may be unable to process the turmoil that they are feeling.

The topic of this book is something of a political hot potato what with the recent school shooting in America. Sadly these types of events frequent our news rooms and homes far too often, with the rest of the world outside the US wondering why the heck the gun laws aren’t being tightened. It’s all very well to offer prayers, thoughts etc, but unless something is actually done to prevent this, all the well wishes in the world don’t help those families that are left devastated in the wake of such despicable acts.

Being British and reading and hearing about such abhorrent and tragic acts, I do feel a little bewildered at why Americans feel so very protective over their right to bear arms. Surely the cost of such a right is too high? When the Dunblaine massacre happened, within months the UK government had restricted the laws about guns to a very strict and rigid standard. As such these types of gun massacres don’t happen. The same can be said of most parts of the world. But I digress into my own political views here.

Overall this is an incredible piece of work by Navin. It is heartbreaking, thought provoking and emotional story.
5 stars for me.
I would like to thank Jess Duffy and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

I just couldn't put this book down, such a current subject told in a great angle. Fantastic.

I'm not quite sure how to review this one, it feels odd saying that I enjoyed it considering the subject matter. It's a very sad yet moving read.

A fault of my own and not the author, I did keep comparing it to Room which in my opinion is a better book from the perspective of a child.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rhiannon Navin and Mantle for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel provoked such a mix of emotions as I was reading it. The story itself is unique in its narrative - about a school shooting but seen through the eyes of a first grade child (year 2 for us here in the UK) - and the effects afterwards on not just him but his family and the wider community. This is a powerful book for making you think and empathise with what other people are going through - I feel for their community, and indeed the parents of the shooter too, so much.

This is such a topical subject, with a worrying number of school shootings having already happened and another awful shooting very recently in Florida. It really makes you think about what a devastating effect this has on everyone. The novel starts so shockingly, with the shooting unfolding at the school and Zach hiding in a closet with his classmates and teacher. That alone gave me the chills and had me riveted. Even though Zach perhaps doesn't quite understand the seriousness of the situation, I could feel the tension through the pages, ensuring I was hooked from the very beginning - and continued to be so long after the shooting ended.

The characters in Only Child are great because no one is perfect. Even those killed during the shooting are not perfect, though - as Zach points out - people tend to remember those killed in a much more positive way than when they were alive - for example, Zach's brother, Andy, who suffered from ODD ('oppositional defiant disorder', which I wasn't aware of before googling it as I read this novel) and was, as we see through Zach's memories, not particularly nice to Zach (or his parents) a lot of the time. Zach's mother and father, suffering from such grief, are also nowhere near perfect - in their behaviour before, during, and after the shooting - but no one is perfect, and who's to say how you should behave when something like this happens to you? There is no proper way to behave, is there? Only Child really highlights this, as well as how hard things can be for the child who's still alive. It's devastating to read Zach's naive take on things - of course, as adults reading, we can work out what's really going on but his innocence shines through the pages and makes me really feel for him.

I cried countless times and thought, yet again, how lucky I am to live in a country that doesn't have the same level of gun culture as America - but how incredibly sad and devastating it is that people over there - both the kids at school and their friends and families - ever have to deal with this kind of thing. Poignant, moving and powerful, this is a must-read and an amazing debut from Rhiannon Navin. I look forward to seeing what's next from her.

Only child is a powerfully written book about the one of the worst things imaginable the death of your child at the hands of a man in a school shooting and it follows the aftermath of a family struggling to cope, The book focuses on Andy's 6 year old brother Zach on how he feels about the shooting and the death of his brother who like all siblings hasn't always been nice to him, so Zach tries to put his own feelings in to perspective and all the while watching his parents imploding and trying to cope in very different ways. You will fall in love with Zach and this book and it will stay with you for a long time after you have finished it.

Only Child is a tragically prescient novel about a school shooting, and its impact on a family. I’m reluctant to criticise a novel with such important subject matter but I found the character of Zach to be really unrealistic - a child of his age would not have the emotional maturity to deal with his feelings the way he did.

Zachs big brother Andy gets shot in a school shooting, and Si the story starts told through the eyes of six year old Zach. A deeply sad thought provoking story of hurt, loss and learning to cope. A beautiful story.