Dale Harcombe's Reviews > Only Child

Zach is shuffled by Miss Russell, his teacher, along with the rest of his class into the cloakroom. The door is held shut. From outside come strange popping noises. By the time Zach and everyone emerge from the confined space nineteen people are dead, fifteen of them children at the school. So many families are affected by the tragedy. Grief affects people in different ways and this community is no different. Zach’s mother is on a vengeful quest for justice. His father withdraws. Zach is left a lot of the time to find his own way of coping with the situation, his mixed feelings and the changes that these events have wrought in his family.
Told from the unique perspective of six year old Zach, this is a heartbreaking story of a family trying to deal with grief and circumstances no parent should ever have to deal with. Yet, sadly in today’s world it is not all that rare. How well the reader responds to this story may well depend on how accepting you are and how authentic you feel the six year old narrator voice is. Most of the time I thought it came across well. Occasionally though it seemed to veer into thoughts or concepts that were beyond the scope of most six year old’s. Both Zach’s parents were realistically portrayed if not always likeable. At times I became so annoyed with them. But then, who knows how each of us would respond if faced with such a tragic situation?
I found this a riveting and thought provoking read. My main problem was I felt after all that had gone before, the ending was a little too neatly and quickly resolved. But still, a book worth reading. A timely message especially in light of recent events in our world. It will be interesting to see what this author writes next.