This was one of the best books I've read on Netgalley in the 15 months I have been reviewing for them. Wow! What a story! I kept thinking about it for days after I'd finished reading it. Clyde, his wife Joy, and their twin sons Peter and Paul live in rural Trinidad. Clyde has a good job and Joy works hard to take care of her home and family. Peter and Paul are very different from each other. Peter is very bright and successful at whatever he attempts to do. Paul is different from Peter and while they are close, Paul walks to the beat of a totally different drummer. His whole life he has been told that he is the retarded twin and Peter helps him out whenever he can. They begin attending a private school in another town, involving a long commute, and while Peter excels, Paul gets extra tutoring from one of the priests, Father Kavanaugh, who becomes a mentor and ally for Paul. One night, shortly after their home is broken into and robbed, Paul disappears. The family is beside itself with fear and worry. Clyde begins searching for his son, angry and annoyed that he has wandered off again. The conclusion left me with my mouth agape.

This is a very well written book which is sad, amusing, shocking and thought provoking. Very strongly recommend, particularly for Book Clubs.

Thought provoking and beautifully written even though difficult, complex topics were covered. The setting was the best thing this book had going for it. I didn't care for the ending - I liked this one but probably wouldn't read it again.

Golden Child is richly atmospheric, but the emotions and ideas were so redundant.....I just never felt engaged enough to finish it. It was like trying to tread/read my way through muddy concrete.

Woah - was this a story I was not expecting. It is tragic, it's sad and depressing. So many family issues and dynamics, so many tough plights to deal with. The heaviness of this novel weighed on me. There was so much to this book, but it left me exhausted.

Even so, thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Family dynamics, self fulfilling prophecies, poverty and tough decisions are what this story is about.
The very premise of the book.revolves around choices made and how the choices impact life. I liked this book as it gave me many things to think about as I process the story.

A devastating, almost allegorical tale of families, loss, and tragic choices. Twins Peter and Paul could not be more different: Peter is a brilliant and precocious student, while Paul is more intuitive and reclusive--characteristics which make his parents and teachers think that he is intellectually slow. The boys' father has tried to treat them equally but he soon learns, when Paul becomes enmeshed in a criminal conspiracy, that he must choose between one boy for the sake of another. Heartbreaking and beautiful.

I don't know what I was expecting from this book ... but it wasn't this.
I don't know if I thought it was going to be more of a mystery... I really don't know.
But what I got was a beautifully written book about a family struggling to get by, a father trying to do right by his two sons, and a tragedy that will change the course of this families life.

I'm not sure what it was about this story, but something about it, just did not sit right with me.
An enjoyable read, but maybe just not what I was in the mood for.

The Golden Child is a story of two brothers, Peter and Paul. They are twins but due to umbilical cord issues in the womb, one twin is deemed 'special' while one twin is deemed brilliant. It isn't unlike the tale of Wally Lamb's This I Know is True...when two brothers are raised in the same house with the same DNA but have vastly different outcomes. The story takes place in Trinidad in the 1980s with the overwhelmed father as the narrator for some parts, and the 'special' son Paul is the narrator for some sections. When one son goes missing...the dad, Clyde, has a harrowing decision to make and is a heartbreaking section as well.

I would have enjoyed more information about the 'Golden Child' with some of the story elements perhaps coming from his point of view, but I was definitely rooting for Paul the whole time. The priest character was also introduced with good intentions but I was also hoping he could be the hero in the story. (This story certainly needed a hero!) I enjoyed the writing style of this author's debut novel and am hopeful to read more works by her! I did not know much about Trinidad before reading this book...and even though it was set in the 1980s, I am hoping the country has more peace and less corruption. I am going to have to delve into some research to find out more about life in Trinidad and to see if this story is a reflection of many Trinidadans or if this story was a unique work of fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and SJP for Hogarth for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review!

This is a difficult review to write because I want to keep my emotional reaction to the story out of it. This was a wonderful, beautifully-told story involving a horrible event. The author is a very skillful writer and stories like this deserve to be told. That said, I hated the ending and I wish I could “un-read” it. I was very emotionally invested in the characters, which is a tribute to the quality of the writing. I am just really having a hard time with the ending.

My star rating is going to be a reflection of all of these things and land in the middle even though this was so well done.

people have been raving about this book. Tragic but well written this book is sure to capture your heart.

I loved this. I don't have much else to say so I'm going to repeat myself. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this. I loved this.

Maybe a 3.5 star...
Golden Child tells the story of Paul, who goes into the bush one night and doesn't return, and his family's decision to save him or not. It is quite a sad story that got much more interesting and engaging in the second half. Even so, as many others have mentioned, the ending is really predictable. There is never another option that seems like it might be considered by the father, Clyde. The decision he made is horrible, and there is barely any examination of the effects it has on the other family members—it is oddly swept under the rug, and simply considered as normal. But it's not.

I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters—I wish we got more of a glimpse of their perspective. The writing is very narrative/action based, which is only enhanced by the third-person perspective, making it even harder to really understand any of the characters. This story was a let-down, though I did enjoy reading about Trinidad—Adam creates a sense of place masterfully.

This book quickly drew me in and has been on my mind non-stop since reading the first page. I have so many feelings, so many mixed emotions on the happenings and the decisions made by this family, who I grew to feel deeply for. Peter and Paul are central to the story. They are twins who, due to some birth complications, are very different. Peter is brilliant, exceptionally smart and Paul has some learning difficulties. My interpretation of him is that he actually has a sensory disorder, but his family seems to interpret this as being mentally retarded (author's word, not mine). The book opens with Paul missing and his father on a desperate middle of the night search to find him. I don't want to include spoilers, so I must be vague. Just know that reading this, you will likely feel so much sadness, anger, love, understanding, empathy and just outright fury. As a mother, this story affected me so deeply. I know that if I was in their situation, this is not the choice I would have made and you will possibly feel the same way.

Also- Is this truly what life is like in Trinidad?? The author is from there, so I"m assuming the depictions are accurate. I've never been so thankful to have been raised in a safe environment and feel so much more empathy and understanding for those who aren't born with that luxury.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

Golden Child is a debut novel by Claire Adam, who grew up in Trinidad where the novel is set. It is about a set of twins, one who seems destined for great things while the other suffers from issues occurring during his birth. Most of the novel revolves around when one son goes missing.

Overall the storytelling is a slow burn. There are some side stories that didn't seem to matter as much as I thought they would, and despite the title I found myself surprised by the ending. I would have liked to get to know all of the characters better. The placeness of the writing is the best part.

I finished this book last night but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it this morning. This was a well-written novel and a fascinating glimpse into the life and culture of Trinidad in the 1980's (I agree with the other reviewers who note that Trinidad itself is a character in the book). This story was heartbreaking. I think this would be a great book club read because the ending leaves one needing to discuss with others. I look forward to reading more from author Claire Adam.

Thank you, SJP for Hogarth and NetGalley!

I finished Golden Child a few days ago and am still thinking it through. Initially, this book was a solid three star read for me- enjoyable enough, but not one I thought would stay with me. A week or so out, and I'm still thinking through the plot and its implications. Clearly, my first impression of this book was totally wrong. The highlight for me in this book are the biblical allusions. The references to Peter and Paul in Adam's twins (aptly named Peter and Paul), the idea of Peter as the rock on which the family will build their future, the tension between the twins and the different ways they were received by those around them, the family's identification as Hindu with the strong integration of Christian themes and role of Catholicism in the book. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate Golden Child, and the more I'd like to read it again!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and SJP for Hogarth for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This deeply affecting novel is set in rural Trinidad. We follow the lives of a family that is trying to make their way with little by way of resources. They live in a brick house on stilts that was built by hand and is surrounded by bush. Clyde, the man of the house, works shifts at the petroleum plant and spends long hours away from his wife, Joy, and their thirteen-year-old twins. The boys must rise early every day to attend school in the capital, Port of Spain.

Although they are twins, the boys are vastly different—Paul was deprived of oxygen at birth and is considered to be developmentally delayed, while his brother, Peter is thought to be a genius destined for greatness.

One afternoon Paul doesn't return home. Clyde sets out on a search for the missing boy who has always caused him trouble. As the days pile up, Paul's fate becomes apparent, and Clyde is faced with making a gut-wrenching, unimaginable decision. This story is not for the feint of heart. Although it is set against a beautiful backdrop, this novel will shake you to the very core.

People are either going to love Adam's debut, or be too outraged with the outcome. I happen to fall into the latter. For me the book was an example of toxic masculinity that the author juxtaposes against a beautiful setting. Trinidad comes to life on the page and becomes one of the only likeable things.

Told mostly from Clyde's perspective, there is a complete lack of growth and trajectory and you can figure out where the plot is headed fairly quickly. There's really not much of a story and what little there is, is lacking in character development. I wanted more of the twins—they are perfect opposites, two halves of a whole.

As mentioned, the ending is devastating, detached, and abrupt. Given the length of the story, there was certainly room to flesh out the characters and explore more depth of the plot.

The Golden Child examine the difficulties of parenthood through Clyde Deyalsingh, his wife Joy, and the choices they make for their twins Peter and Paul. Peter is the golden child - intelligent, obedient, and with a possible golden future, the chance to leave Trinidad to study in the United States. His twin brother, Paul, is viewed as "slightly retarded" by his family, doomed to remain in Trinidad without any possibilities beyond physical labor. It's no accident that author Claire Adam named the boys Peter and Paul, as much of the book questions whether Peter should be robbed to pay Paul, or is it right to give it all to the son with the most potential.

Clyde works hard at being the right kind of father, doing whatever it takes and making sacrifices for his family, but eventually making a fateful choice. Adam has written this book beautifully, showing the economic insecurity, random violence, and "bush-and-bandits" of rural Trinidad along with the universal worries, concerns, and problems of parenthood. I wonder what I would have chosen.

Thank you to SJP for Hogarth and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

Claire Adam's novel follows the story of a struggling family living in rural Trinidad, a community riddled with crime, fear, and suspicion. Clyde's two twin sons journey to school every morning with the hope that the oldest, Peter, will find success, and the youngest, Paul, will merely manage to be able to keep up. Their routine life changes suddenly when Paul doesn't return home one night and the life that Clyde has carefully worked so hard to procure begins to untangle in front of his eyes. Adam creates both a suspenseful yet thought provoking, beautiful tale of the relationship between parent and child, and how much one father is willing to risk for the "golden child."

I really had a hard time connecting with Golden Child. I really was hoping the deeper I got into the story I would love it but sadly that never happened.