"A rich and rollicking tale that deepens into the tenderest of daughterly tributes."

- Helen Garner

Only is a memoir of an unconventional childhood that explores what it means to be an only child – as both child and adult. Also what it means to be the daughter of two people damaged by trauma and tragedy, particularly a domineering and explosive father. Secrets are revealed and differences settled.

"With a glamorous mother and a successful father, Caroline Baum's prosperous childhood seems like the epitome of privilege. Yet below the shimmering surface, rolling currents from scarred pasts buffet her girlhood, creating dislocations that resonate into adulthood. This beautifully rendered, searingly honest account becomes, in the end, a testimony to the enduring power of love, no matter how imperfectly enacted or expressed."

- Geraldine Brooks

"An unflinching and honest exploration of what it takes to be a good daughter, with a heart-melting scoop of ice cream."

- Elizabeth Gilbert

"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