'Move over Ferrante, there's a new Elena in town' Independent

A gripping novel about family, loss and secrets, from the author of the Times bestselling sensation Can You Hear Me?

The boy is almost eighteen and has a loving family. He's polite and well-educated, quiet but always smiling.

When word spreads that he has broken into and stolen from a neighbour's house, his parents and sisters can't believe it. Then the unthinkable happens: an attack that will rip through the town and his family for years to come.

Just a Boy is a gripping, incisive novel about secrets, adolescence and how we can love someone - a child, a partner - without ever knowing their mind.


Praise for The Times bestseller Can You Hear Me?

'A novel of crime and darkness that eschews straightforward domestic noir' Guardian

'Utterly gripped me from beginning to end' Victoria Hislop

"Varvello knowns how to construct a drama full of suspense, working towards revelation . . . a fascinating read" - Irish Examiner

"Darkly eloquent and moving" - Observer