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Book Reviewed by: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 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.
1
The Day the Gunman Came
The thing I later remembered the most about the day the gunman came was my teacher Miss Russell's breath. It was hot and smelled like coffee. The closet was dark except for a little light that was coming in through the crack of the door that Miss Russell was holding shut from inside. There was no door handle on the inside, only a loose metal piece, and she pulled it in with her thumb and pointer finger.
"Be completely still, Zach," she whispered. "Don't move."
I didn't. Even though I was sitting on my left foot and it was giving me pins and needles and it hurt a lot.
Miss Russell's coffee breath touched my cheek when she talked, and it bothered me a little. Her fingers were shaking on the metal piece. She had to talk to Evangeline and David and Emma a lot behind me in the closet, because they were crying and were not being completely still.
"I'm here with you guys," Miss ...
Rhiannon Navin's debut novel, Only Child received an overall score of 4.8 out of 5 from BookBrowse members, one of the highest ever ratings for a First Impressions book, including these comments:
The concept of writing this book through the eyes of a 6 year old was brilliant. I felt the author truly captured a child's view of the events - his fears, guilt and loss. It was a good reminder to us that a child can see clearly right from wrong and the importance of love over hate; they don't get caught up in the outside opinions that can influence adults (Terrie J).
Zach's innocent but wise perspective brought me to tears, to laughter and to a host of other emotions in between. I found myself pulling for him to show those much older and presumably wiser how to go on after such a loss (Carol S). His innocence proves to be both a safeguard and guiding light; and because he is able to find his way through the complexities of this tragedy, so are we. From first page to last, Zack is our champion, and we are his (Maureen R).
The fact that this is a debut novel blows me away! (Jill F). I have already recommended it to others (Terry J) Book clubs will have hours of discussion topics (Liz B)...continued
Full Review
(494 words)
(Reviewed by First Impressions Reviewers).
Gina Mei, Shondaland.com
It's hard to imagine a more timely novel than Only Child. Told from the perspective of a 6-year-old boy, Zach Taylor ... the book is a heartbreaking exploration of grief, family, and resilience in the face of immeasurable tragedy [and] a story that feels more fact than fiction. Harlan Coben
Congrats to Rhiannon Navin - this is an outstanding debut.Rhiannon Navin's novel Only Child is in part inspired by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took place on 14 December 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. On that date, 20-year-old Adam Lanza murdered his mother at their home and then drove to the school, fatally shooting 20 six- and seven-year-old children and six adult staff using a Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle (aka AR-15).
Astonishingly, some conspiracy theorists believe the absurd claim that the shootings never happened. They propose that the whole thing was staged using child actors by the then-Democrat-controlled federal government as a way to convince people that stricter gun laws were needed – maybe even to sponsor a repeal of the 2nd Amendment. ...
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