In this dark novel Unsworth gives us an insight into the fleeting beauty of youth, and the desperation of age that brings back an eager wish to return to our childhoods.
In no other novel is the fleeting heart of childhood so beautifully and darkly described, Unsworth highlights both the beauty, hardship, and desires of childhood in this fast paced story.
Our main character, Devin, is a young boy when he buries his grandfather and is left alone on the family farm, far from civilisation. But Devin cannot look after the farm alone and so sets out to find those who will join him there.
The city is a cruel place for homeless children though, with water and food a rare resource in this modern hell there is no one willing to take in, or to care, for the many children abandoned on the streets of a rotting city.
Devin does however make a friend in a young street girl, named Kit. Together they go to the safe haven, a rumoured place for children like them where food is bountiful, and where they are cared for like kings.
But not all is what it seems in this twisted world, and Devin soon notices that the other children in the haven are not quite right, that they are closed or sometimes that they seem to be completely different people.
This adventure of a story will leave you desperate, filling you with a feeling of dread and horror as each new surprise unveils itself, and each new plot-twist becomes apparent.
A beautifully written view of the life of a child, and the life of the elderly, this book is stimulating, and completely unforgettable, no matter how hard you try to forget its horrors.
We Give The One Safe Place Three Stars
ISBN – 978-1-4440-1022-0 Cover price (hard back) - £10.99 Available as an eBook