This was a book in which the setting, Trinidad, was as much a character as the people in it. I loved reading the descriptions of the dense jungle floors teeming with insects and unseen dangers. The writing, more than the story, is what kept me turning the pages in the book. The actual story was somewhat choppy and I didn’t find the characters to be as fully formed as the sense of place. Though we’re told many times that twins Peter and Paul are 13, I didn’t always get a sense of their age through their actions or how they thought. Thank you to netgalley and SJP/Hogarth for the free e-copy.

Ultimately I felt that I wanted to like this book more than I did. I appreciated the Trinidad setting, and the glimpse at different lives within the country. The ending featured a heartrending choice, but it felt abrupt, and so close to the end that I didn't get to truly understand how the characters dealt with this decision, or its impact on their lives, and I had to go back to reread the last chapters to make sure I hadn't missed some details. The book packs a lot into relatively few pages, and it feels in many ways longer than it really is.

3.5 Stars

Set in 1980’s Trinidad, this gives the reader a somewhat raw but complete sense of time and place and the ins and outs of the life of this family. Twin boys, who are thirteen as this story takes place, Paul was oxygen deprived during birth that affects his learning, and the other twin, Paul, who excels in school and considered to be intellectually gifted. As such, Paul tends to get more “positive” attention from those around him.

Their home sits surrounded by bush, set up from the ground on stilts, and their life has been good, but not easy. The father, Clyde, works long hours, the boys travel far to attend their school in Port of Spain, while Joy, the wife / mother, takes care of their home, and them. There are dangers outside that they are aware of, but they are careful to lock their doors and take precautions when outside.

And then one day, Paul doesn’t come home as the afternoon fades into evening, so Clyde goes looking for him, internally focused on how much trouble this son has caused him already, all the worrying he puts them through. He eventually gives up, calls off his search for the evening and returns home focusing on the retribution coming Paul’s way when he finds him.

While I didn’t love this, I felt this debut novel showed a lot of promise. The lovely descriptive writing of the place was the highlight for me, but the story – which should have been incredibly moving – seemed to be told in such a matter-of-fact way that the “telling” seemed somewhat devoid of emotion.

Golden Child is the latest SJP for Hogarth selection.


Pub Date: 29 Jan 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Crown Publishing / SJP for Hogarth

This is a fairly short but powerful book. Set in Trinidad, this book explores family, betrayal, and loss in a way that I haven't seen much of before. As a parent this book made me think about what choices I would make for my own children in the worst possible scenarios and made me hug them a little tighter. I will definitely be recommending this book to others. I think this story is one that needs to be told.

Peter and Paul. One with the short hair, one with the long. One is smart, one isn't. The Golden Child and the Other. Adam paints a stark picture of what it takes to make it in her home country of Trinidad. Although it took a few chapters to get into the story, mostly because of not knowing enough about the country it was set in, the running of theme of "other" and choices kept me coming back to see what would happen. This book is very much one of those where you hope that you would do things differently in the situations given to the characters, but then you think more and more and wonder if you would.

A story about two Twin boys; one suffered from lack of oxygen when born and is labeled retarded and one a genius. The family trying to make an honest life in a hard country, in the end a terrible choice has to be made....a real Sophie’s choice.

I learned a lot from this book. I actually went and googled information about Trinidad and it’s indian culture. I didn’t know anything about it’s history and was very interested. The book showcases its culture and socioeconomic climate very well but it does slow down the plot quite a bit.

I took a few day (okay a week) to think though this book. I didn’t enjoy it while I was reading it and felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. But after much though I ended it giving it more stars than I originally expected. The country and what I learned has really stuck with me. I would love to read more from Trinidad and the Caribbean in general.

But I didn’t like the characters very much. Most of them were unfriendly and had few redeeming qualities. And maybe that’s the point. Their choices are difficult and in some cases lose-lose so I won’t say they made the wrong choice, or the right one, in the end. They made the difficult choice.

Either way. This story will stick with me for a long while.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh the choices we must make. You, like me, might question how Clyde and Joy deal with their twins Peter and Paul but the you'll think on it and realize that our choices are dictated by many things. Rural Trinidad comes through as almost another character in this interesting novel but the issues faced by this family are universal. A caution that this moves back and forth in time and shifts perspective, notably to Paul, whose oxygen was compromised at his birth. This does give a rounded take on the situation and the writing is lovely. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A worthy pick by SJP.

This book is hard to rate and hard to describe. The writing is beautiful but the story itself just didn't seem to catch no for me. Parts of it I really enjoyed while others just dragged on and on. I wanted more from the characters. It's a book I suspect I will think about for some time and I may reconsider how I feel about it more than once.

3.5 stars rounded up

This is the second book I’ve read this year with parents treating their children differently believing that one over the other has a better chance at a successful life, believing that one is better than the other. An awful thing really, especially when a choice results in dire consequences, a choice that I could not imagine in a million years making, a choice that in my view never had to be made, a moral dilemma which I found difficult to even see as a dilemma. Clyde, seems to be barely getting by in a job at a petroleum plant, living with his wife Joy and their twin teenage sons Peter and Paul in an old house in Trinidad. Recognizing the importance of an education and a way out for his son Peter, who is singled out at school as not just smart but gifted, Clyde focuses on what it would take for Peter to go to college and through the generosity of an Uncle , this could be possible. Paul who had the cord around his neck at birth has been deemed “retarded” and “crazy” is considered so by his parents. I couldn’t help but think that Paul hasn’t done well because it wasn’t expected that he would. Paul for me was the most clearly defined character and it was a shame that his family did not see him for who he really was.

It’s hard to tell more about what happens without giving the story away. I can only say that I was heartbroken and disturbed. Perhaps, this is meant to give us an understanding of life on this island, Trinidad and while the author does a good job of taking us through Clyde’s thoughts and his perspective, I just could not begin to understand his decision, let alone accept it. This was a difficult read on an emotional level so I’m glad that I read it with Diane and Esil.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Sip for Hogarth/Crown through NetGalley.

I do not know how to rate this book. Obviously, this was a super anticipated read for me because of how obsessed with SJP I am and how wonderfully beautiful A Place for Us was. The Golden Child was written beautifully and I loved getting a glimpse into a culture I was wholly unfamiliar with. However, the end upset me so much. It took a little bit for me to be fully invested in the story. When we met Father Kavanaugh and saw his relationship with Paul grow...that is when I got fully invested and found myself falling in love with these characters. However, the rest of the family I was not attached to. And I was very frustrated with the parents' attitude and decisions throughout the story. By the end, this book hurt my heart.

It’s hard to write about Golden Child without giving too much away. I thought it was a superb little book, but, boy, does it dredge up a lot of strong emotions. Set in Trinidad, the story focuses on Clyde and Joy, and their twin sons Peter and Paul. Peter is exceptionally academically talented. Paul was born with his umbilical cord around his neck which leads his family to refer to him as "retarded". The ensuing family dynamics and unfolding events are heartbreaking and not for the feint of heart or for those who like tidy moral endings. But I was very impressed with how Adam tells this story. She brought me right into the characters' heads and into their world on the island of Trinidad. This is a book with a strong sense of character and place, that left me with strong emotions. This was also a great book to read as a buddy read with Diane and Angela. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

A bit on the slow side, especially the beginning. It started getting better towards the end, but it was a bit of a journey to get there. I wish it had been a little faster paced in the beginning so I could've been more excited about it.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the Sarah Jessica Parker imprint for Hogarth, and Claire Adam for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - gorgeous writing and a heartbreaker.

This story takes place in rural Trinidad, where Clyde and Joy are parents to twin teenage boys, Peter and Paul. Peter is extremely bright and is placed in a good school that requires a long commute; Paul is allowed to attend the school as well, but from birth he's always been different and considered more damaged goods. One night, Paul doesn't come home and Clyde begins searching for him. We are then transported back to the past to learn more of the background of the family, before coming back to the present where Clyde is forced to make a devastating decision involving his sons.

Beautifully written, this would be a wonderful book club selection because there is so much to discuss. How much of our own self-worth is changed by the labels put on us by others? What happens when one child is favored over the other? What would we do for our children to give them a better life than what we have?

I almost let myself be swayed by some lackluster Goodreads reviews but am so glad I picked this one up. I really enjoyed it. I will say that it is pretty heavy, thinking about who I could sell it to and the list is a little shorter. I think it will be widely read because of SJP but probably most people will feel like the goodreads reviewers that say it was too sad/dark/depressing.

This book was slow slow slow then crash and burn in a horrible train accident you can't look away from type of way in the last like 20% of it. I liked it, but I could not get on board with a major choice that was the pivotal point of the book and how it ended. I don't want to be nice about it and talk in literary terms, I want to rail against the chooser and judge the shit out of him. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Trinidad in the 1980's, twins, Paul and Peter may look alike but they are very different boys. Peter, is the "perfect son with high intelligence. Paul, has learning disabilities due to complications at birth. When one of the boys goes missing, their father, Clyde, is forced to face the reality of what happened to him and make a choice that in the end is picking one son over the other.

I enjoyed this book and found the story to be addictive. In the end, Although the conclusion of the book wasn't a surprise, I had hoped for a happier ending. As someone who has a family member with special needs I was turned off by the use of the term "retarded" and hearing the parents say it over and over again to their child made me cringe. Overall this is a good read with lots of corruption and excitement

Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted this to be very good, after having read the first SJP for Hogarth pick and loving it.. but this was sorely lacking for me.
This novel was set in Trinidad and it did give a real sense of place and life there, and I was quite enjoying it at first... the story of twin boys born with one twin having difficulty from the start, and ending up labeled as retarded.
This is the story of their life growing up in this place and the family dynamics that surrounded them, how one twin was favored, and an impossible decision that had to be made.

Thank you to Netgalley and SJP for Hogarth for the advanced copy.

This is more like 3.5 stars. I really enjoy reading about different cultures and parts of the world that I'm not familiar with and this book delivered that with its setting of Trinidad. I definitely came away feeling like I know more about the culture and values there. The story is one of a family - father and mother and twin sons - and the choices they must make within their culture and lives. I was reminded again and again about the saying of not judging until you walk a mile in someone else's shoes while reading this book. Would I have made the same choices and valued the same things? An easy answer of "no" from where I sit but the answer becomes less clear if I truly try to place myself in Clyde's (the father) and the rest of the family's position. I wonder if the boys' names, Paul and Peter, were chosen specifically to relate to the common expression "rob Peter to pay Paul". The third part of the book was difficult to read and I felt detracted a bit from the major themes of the novel at times.

This is one of those books I wanted to love. I have been trying to expand what I read and read more diversely. I love when a book sweeps me away to a new place and teaches me about a new culture. Unfortunately that, among other things, was missing for me in this book. The Golden Child is the story of twin brothers, Paul and Peter. One is loved and looked upon favorably. The other is an after thought. And one day he goes missing.

For me this story never really took off. I kept reading, hoping for a connection. It was a compelling concept. I look forward to discussing it with my book club. But I felt like the ending was rushed and the author didn’t give me time to digest it before the book ended abruptly. I ended up giving this book 2 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
How far will a parent go to protect ones’ child. What if you have 13 year old twin boys who have very different needs? Does a parent choose to advance one over the other? That is one of the questions that Clyde and Joy are asked to make in Golden Child by Claire Adam. Rural Trinidad, a meager house on stilts, an area with high crime and low opportunity for many. This is where Peter and Paul, twin boys grow up. Peter is beyond his years in intelligence and on the path to going to a great American school if the cards play in his favour. His brother Paul had a difficult birth and likely has a learning disability to contend with. Fewer choices lie in Paul’s future and he has been reminded of this his whole life. One day, Paul doesn’t return home after a day out. Suspicions abound in regards to what has happened and what actions should be taken. How the family approaches this decision affects the family forever.

Golden Child is a beautiful but heart-rending story with some of the most affecting language I’ve read in a while. I know it’s only January but I expect this book to be on my top lists of 2019.