'I thought it was a gem of a novel, heart breaking and heart-warming. Beautifully written, with characters that you want to keep by your side. Such a perfect book for lovers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Universe Versus Alex Woods.' Adele Parks, Sunday Times bestselling author

‘A big, warm, winning treat of a novel, wholly believable but touched with magic. Sharply observed, deftly constructed and pithily told, this is a story about facing up to the losses of the past and discovering that the most unexpected of allies can help old dreams come true.’ Alison Mercer, author of After I Left You

‘Life-affirming, touching and beautifully written’ HEAT magazine

‘A jewel of a novel. Themes of grief, love, family and old age come together to form a novel that sits on that magical boundary between literary and commercial fiction, a book that’s both easy to read and deeply profound as it swings between light humour and wrenching sadness. This engaging and heartfelt novel is set to be one of the biggest hits of 2016.’The Media Eye, Rising Stars

‘I loved it! Ona is such a brilliant heroine and Quinn is such a surprising hero. And, oh - that ending... Such a life-affirming read - I just love the way Monica’s story brings out the best in people.’ Hannah Beckerman, Author and Journalist

‘Heartbreaking and brilliant….if you loved Elizabeth Is Missing or The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry then I am sure you’ll enjoy this. I’d be surprised if it’s not a hit in 2016.’ Sheila O’Reilly, Dulwich Books

#OneInAMillionBoy

Only a handful of exceptional novels touch almost every reader’s heart.

This is one of those books.

This is Headline’s 2016 passion book - a novel so special, so emotionally engaging, so fresh in the way it handles its themes, and with such a clear authorial voice – that it will become one of those rare books that everyone who loves fiction is talking about.

At its simplest, THE ONE IN A MILLION BOY is the story of an unlikely friendship, between a mentally sharp, determinedly independent woman of 104 and the world-records-obsessed eleven-year-old boy tasked with doing odd jobs around her decaying property.

But it’s much more than that. It’s about families, and love, and grief. It’s about a father trying to finish what his son had begun. It’s about the invisibility of old age and the discovery that there’s always more life to be lived. It’s about being young and open, with no side and no cynicism, and an uncertain future.

It’s insightful, it’s inventive, it’s full of surprises, and although it’s heart-wrenchingly sad in places, it’s also laugh-out-loud funny when you least expect it.

Don’t miss the one-in-a-million book of 2016