Description
Book SynopsisThree barely felt like a family. It felt like it did not count. Like we were unfinished. Incomplete. There was always a gap at the table, room to set places for others. Visitors were few and far between. Mostly, there was only me.
Only is a painfully honest and entertaining story of an unconventional childhood. It reveals what it feels like to be an only child and the focal point of two people damaged by trauma and tragedy, and the courage it takes to break free from the past and the pull of its secrets.
Caroline Baum's poignant and gripping memoir is for anyone who has felt the pressure of being at the fulcrum of a seesaw, the focus of all eyes and expectations - torn between love and fear, obedience and rebellion, duty and the longing to escape. In exploring what being a Good Daughter means and why it can be so difficult, Only uncovers truths that offer readers deep emotional insight.
Trade ReviewAn unflinchingly honest exploration of what it takes to be a good daughter, with a heart-melting scoop of ice cream. -- Elizabeth Gilbert
A rich and rollicking tale that deepens into the tenderest of daughterly tributes. -- Helen Garner
A conflicted love letter to her European origins and the uncrushable spirit of her glamorous, at times difficult parents, this lyrical page turner made me laugh and made me weep. -- Magda Szubanski
A vivid and moving account of life as an only child: there's glamour in this world but terrors aplenty. -- Richard Glover
Only is a wild and deeply felt tale. With her unflinching gaze, Caroline Baum explores the inheritance of being an 'only', contrasting an exotic cast of the glamorous and the famous with her unconventional, often solitary childhood. -- Ailsa Piper
