The One Safe Place
In this near-future
dystopia with echoes of "The Giver" and "Among the Hidden," Tania
Unsworth has created an unsettling page-turner; fast-paced, smooth,
filled with dread that's wholly satisfying and startlingly original.
Devin doesn't remember life before the world got hot; he has grown up farming the scorched earth with his grandfather in their remote valley. When
his grandfather dies, Devin heads for the city. Once there, among the
stark glass buildings, he finds scores of children, just like him,
living alone on the streets. They tell him rumors of a place for
abandoned children, with unlimited food and toys and the hope of finding a new family. But only the luckiest get there.
An act of
kindness earns Devin an invitation to the home, but it's soon clear that it s no paradise. As Devin investigates the intimidating administrator
and the zombie-like sickness that afflicts some children, he discovers
the home's horrific true mission. The only real hope is escape, but the
place is as secure as a fortress.
Fans of dystopian fiction and
spine-chilling adventure will devour "The One Safe Place;" its haunting
themes will resonate long after readers have turned the final page.
