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There are currently 22 member reviews
for Only Child
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Peggy C. (Wyckoff, NJ)
The Power of Innocence
A powerful story of forgiveness and healing told through the dramatic experience of six-year old Zach Taylor. Set against the backdrop of a school shooting, the story reveals the tragedy of the loss of a child through inexplicable violence and the related impacts on marriage, family and community. The innocence of Zack makes the events even more poignant.
Rhiannon Navin develops a story that presents the reader with a whole of range of emotions. It is a sad, but thought provoking read that you will find hard to put down. School shootings have no easy answers, but finding a way to heal and forgive gives hope in a sometimes troubled world. An engaging story that you will not soon forget.
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Bobbie D
Lockdown
How does 6 year old Zachary Taylor feel about being an ONLY CHILD? His older brother, Andy, is very annoying and has issues controlling his temper. Their parents have loud fights over how to manage him. So Zach, who is the narrator of this novel, thinks maybe it would be better if Andy weren't around. So begins a novel inspired by the tragedy at Sandy Hook.
Hidden in the school cloakroom by his teacher, Zach hears "popping" and when it is over is led down the hallway past the carnage which he doesn't quite understand at the time.
His observations, throughout the novel, are what a child of 6 sees. The whole family is badly traumatized as expected. His "feelings" are very confusing to him. He takes sheets of paper and paints each a different color to represent being sad, happy etc. to separate one from another which helps him to cope.
This is Zach's story and he tells it masterfully. Reminds me of the young boy in the novel Room. Seen through their eyes, everything is viewed differently.
Adults and teens can learn from this story. Listen to others! Be sympathetic!
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Lynne B. (South Lake Tahoe, CA)
Only Child: A Heartgrabbing, Emotionally Searing Tale
Only Child is a truly heartbreaking and difficult to read story. With news in recent years of school shootings this book brings a tragedy like this very much to life again. Told through the eyes of a 6 year old survivor, we are drawn into the total sadness and disbelief of everyone affected. The emotions and thoughts brought out by the 6 year old Zach take us to the depths of despair and agony for this family. The story seems like nothing but depression for most of the reading but ends on a hopeful note thankfully.
This was an emotionally exhausting read and reminded me much of Room with a young narrator trying to make sense of his situation based on limited experience. However, this young narrator finally discovers the key to reuniting his family and finding a way to move forward. Anyone experiencing deep grief will relate to this story but may find it difficult to handle emotionally.
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Celia P. (Melbourne, FL)
Good But...
A terrible thing has happened. A sick man has gotten into McKinley School. He killed a bunch of people with his gun. One of these is Andy Taylor. His younger brother, Zach, also in the school at the time of the shooting, has survived.
The entire story is told from the point of view of six year old Zach. He sees his parents arguing and drawing away from each other. He feels very lonely and neglected.
I don't mind dysfunctional people, but when its parents of a small child, it is hard for me to take. The mother Melissa, seeking 'justice', seems to be in it more for revenge. Ugly. And the arguing between Melissa and Zach's father Jim, is very ugly and violent too.
I thought the book very well written and the story flowed well. Unfortunately, though, it had negative triggers for me. Yesterday, I described the book to a friend, and she said she could not read it. Too upsetting.
I have to commend the author though, for making this story so realistic that it evoked in me the responses I experienced.
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Wendy F. (Kalamazoo, MI)
Only Child
Only Child is the story of an all-too-common event - a school shooting - as told from the perspective of a six-year-old student. Zach brings us through the moment that the shooter enters the school on through the mixture of emotions that a young child goes through when suffering such a tragedy. He tells us his struggles as well as those of the adults around him. His perceptions are keen, difficult but necessary to read. It makes me more aware that I need to be more cautious with my words around the very young. Gun violence has become the norm in our society. Reading this makes me more determined to continue working to stop the gun culture we have here in the US.
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Becky K. (Chicagoland)
Adorable narrator but awful mother
I loved the narrator of this book, 6-year-old Zach. I enjoyed the plot and thought the story was well-executed and suspenseful but still "literary fiction." I also like how Zach's brother Andy was only related to the reader based on how others thought/spoke about him, as he died at the very beginning.
However, I had a difficult time empathizing with Zach's mom Melissa, who is one of the main characters. I understand that every person deals with grief differently, but I could not agree with some of her decisions and even thought some of the choices she made were cruel to others.
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Barb
Heartbreaking & Memorable
A heart wrenching debut novel about a family devastated by a elementary school massacre that takes the life of their ten year old son. The narrator is his six year old brother who deals with his grief and that of his family's devastation with confusion, insight and wisdom. Zach Taylor is someone you will remember for a very long time. This was a powerful book that I thought perfectly captured Zach's voice and the horror of such a tragedy. Want to thank BookBrowse & First Impressions for the ARC.
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