“Only Child triumphs. Zach, at only 6 years old, understands more about the human heart than the broken adults around him. His hope and optimism as he sets out to execute his plan will have every reader cheering him on, and believing in happy endings even in the face of such tragedy. . . . Navin manages to make Zach’s voice heartbreakingly believable.”—Ann Hood, The Washington Post“Perfect for … Washington Post
“Perfect for fans of Room… a heartbreaking but important novel.” —Real Simple
Readers of Jodi Picoult and Liane Moriarty will also like this tenderhearted debut about healing and family, narrated by an unforgettable six-year-old boy who reminds us that sometimes the littlest bodies hold the biggest hearts and the quietest voices speak the loudest.
Squeezed into a coat closet with his classmates and teacher, first grader Zach Taylor can hear gunshots ringing through the halls of his school. A gunman has entered the building, taking nineteen lives and irrevocably changing the very fabric of this close-knit community. While Zach’s mother pursues a quest for justice against the shooter’s parents, holding them responsible for their son’s actions, Zach retreats into his super-secret hideout and loses himself in a world of books and art. Armed with his newfound understanding, and with the optimism and stubbornness only a child could have, Zach sets out on a captivating journey towards healing and forgiveness, determined to help the adults in his life rediscover the universal truths of love and compassion needed to pull them through their darkest hours.
more
A school shooting, the Taylor family is living every parent’s nightmare, the death of a child. This book is told from their remaining six-year-old son’s POV. The wisdom of a child definitely leads them.
Losing a child would put a strain on any marriage and family. It also exposed the fissures, cracks, and weaknesses that existed in the Taylor family before the shooting. Each parent handles it differently and makes mistakes along the way. Poor Zach pays for their mistakes.
For Andy’s death to make sense, someone has to pay. Zach’s mom does the morning news circuit with a vendetta against the shooter’s family. Consumed by grief, she goes off the rails, becomes angry and bitter, and lashes out at Zach and her husband.
With the honest innocent wisdom of a child, Zach is handling the loss of Andy better than anyone in his family. He talks to Andy, reads books, and draws pictures of his feelings. It will take him and his big heart to teach the adults in his family about grief, love, and forgiveness.
School shootings happen all too frequently. Read Only Child. It lays bare the grief of a mother and introduces the reader to the amazing child who will put her back together. Be warned it is all too easy to paint Melissa Taylor as a vilian. No mom comes with the tools to handle the death of a child. Her reactions are honest, rare, and are painful to witness.
Navin really taps into the innocent, non judgmental mind of a child, to tell the story of a family trying to recover from the tragedy of losing their son. It is emotionally captivating.
This is one of the best books that I have read! It is creatively told through the eyes of a 6 year old. It is easy to feel his sadness and his compassion for others.
Super good book. I recommended it to all my reader friends. Exceptional! Told from a child’s perspective, it offered unusual insight and a feeling of great satisfaction when I finished it.
3.5 Very disturbing. Not because of the initial tragedy but due to the extended tragedy of adults putting their pain first while another child suffered. The mother’s misplaced anger was especially difficult and as much as I wanted to feel sympathy, pity was all I could generate. I felt at some point the author needed someone to point out that her troubled child that died was well on the path to do the same horrendous act if he had his hands on a gun and that her excuses for him were what she projected on the parents of the shooter. The author was irresponsible in never acknowledging the tragedy of unregulated guns in our country.
This is a beautifully written story as seen through the eyes of a 6 year old boy as his family deals with the loss of their older son in a school shooting.
It’s a rough subject, but it’s done so well
This is an excellent book. Reading the experience from a 6 year old’s perspective provided a new look at a horrible tragedy.
I loved it. The story is told from the child’s perspective so you felt everything he was thinking and feeling.
A bit disappointing –
A relevant book regarding a school shooting from a six year old’s perspective.
Redeeming story of a tragedy and its impact on all concerned. A novel of our turbulent times. Great first book. Look forward to seeing where she goes from this audacious start.
Written from a unique point of view. Too timely
Really great telling of a family dealing with tragedy and grief through the eyes of a small boy.
Very moving and human account of a child’s view of tragedy and family loss.
Loved this book. Interesting writing from the perspective of a young boy’s life being torn apart from the school shooting and the death of his brother and how it affected the whole family. Family found each other through this tragedy.
Written from the view point of a 6 year old. Amazing. I’m not even finished with it yet, but love it!
An okay read. I got tired of the characters’ same reactions to each “event”…over and over.
Loved reading this story from the viewpoint of a 6-year-old trying to process an unimaginable tragedy.
Well defined characters and an interesting story relating the difficulties faced by Koreans living in Japan