Only Child cover art

Only Child

A Novel

 Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Only Child

Written by: Rhiannon Navin
Narrated by: Kivlighan de Montebello
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $37.63

Buy Now for $37.63

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

For fans of Room and the novels of Jodi Picoult, a dazzling, tenderhearted debut about healing, family, and the exquisite wisdom of children, narrated by a 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 19 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.

©2018 Rhiannon Navin (P)2018 Random House Audio Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Inspiring Heartfelt
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What the critics say

" Only Child realizes every parent's ultimate fear: What if your kid's killer is someone you knew - or thought you knew? Congrats to Rhiannon Navin - this is an outstanding debut." (Harlan Coben)
"An astonishing debut novel." (Louisa Ermelino, Publishers Weekly)

"One of the big debuts of next year." (Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal)

"A powerful exercise in empathy and perspective." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"As I flew through Only Child, I realized that my heart, not my fingers, turned the pages. Rhiannon Navin finds a miraculous way to simplify the unthinkable into a page-turning, emotional awakening. Through the eyes of seven-year-old Zach, we get to see the beauty that can rise up after pain and loss. And we get to see through the noise of our adult lives, back to the undeniable truth of childhood - kindness begets kindness." (Bryan Reardon, author of Finding Jake)

What listeners say about Only Child

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.ca reviews

Amazon Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User

don't listen when driving

Good story, great narrating. Do t listen when driving as it made me tear up many times. Hearing a child's voice recounting a school shooting was very emotional.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Kathryn

A straightforward look at grief

This is not the kind of book that generally interests me, but I found the child's perspective compelling and believable. The narration is clear and crisp. The devastation at the senseless killing of school school aged child among members of a family is realistic., complete with the break up of parents, who in their grief, struggle to communicate. The religious prespective that comforts the child was somewhat off-putting to myself , as is the lack of social and political context for school shootings. That is why I give it 3 stars. The family's final act of forgiveness of the shooter's father is a first step toward resolution, but left me somewhat disappointed. An easy read and realistic look at PTSD, but somewhat unsatisfying without a look at what leads to these mass tragedies.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful