The One Safe Place

The One Safe Place (2014), a young adult science fiction novel by British author Tania Unsworth, takes place in an alternate future in which the earth has been ravaged by global warming and become so hot as to be almost unlivable. The dystopian setting is similar to many popular young adult novels, but Unsworth chooses to tell a smaller and more character-driven story that sets The One Safe Place apart from similar works.

The main character is Devin, a young man who has lived his entire life on a farm with his grandfather. His parents are not in the picture, and it is assumed that they are dead. For as long as he can remember, Devin has helped his grandfather farm. He has never been to school, being tutored at home by his grandfather. However, as the novel opens, Devin is digging a grave to bury his last family member. With his grandfather dead, Devin decides to set out for the nearest city to seek his fortune.

When he arrives, he finds people living in dilapidated buildings. Facing neglect and cruelty at the hands of the citizens, eventually, he finds a group of orphaned children like himself. The children live on the street, struggling to survive. Devin meets a girl named Kit who has lived on the street for a long time. The independent and street-smart Kit teaches him how to get by, sharing with him a rumor that has circulated among the street children for some time.



According to the rumor, somewhere in the city is a house that takes in wayward children. There is always plenty for the children to eat and toys to play with so that children who are lucky enough to be admitted live happily. However, no one knows where the house is, and children who do gain admittance do not come back to tell its location.

A severe storm breaks out in the city, forcing Devin and Kit to go to a homeless shelter for the night. There, they encounter a boy in serious need of money. Devin gives the boy the gold locket he took from his grandfather’s farm. His act of kindness is witnessed by another boy, Ronan, who invites Devin and Kit to the Gabriel H. Penn Home for children. At first, the two are skeptical that the home will live up to its reputation, but they quickly find comfortable beds, a large rec hall, and a cafeteria waiting for them.

The home is run by a woman called the Administrator and Ms. Babbage, the headmistress. Though both seem kind at first, Devin and Kit also find them strange and off-putting. There is tension between the two women because Ms. Babbage dislikes being treated as a servant by the Administrator. Devin meets two other children, Malloy and Luke, and the four quickly become friends.



At first, Devin is happy at the home. However, several strange things happen. Groups of elderly people often visit the home, and Devin spots a scary figure in one of the towers of the home. When the Administrator learns that Devin has synesthesia, she takes a special interest in him, indicating that she wants to save him for something special.

One night, Devin is asked to go to the tower, which is usually off-limits. He is given a liquid; when he drinks it, he has a vision of himself as an old man. This prompts Devin and the other children to begin to investigate the true purpose of the home. They learn that the children who are housed there are used by the elderly visitors to restore their own youth. Once they have been drained of all their youthful energy, the children are released back onto the street to die. As they near their expiration date, children in the home become sickly and zombie-like.

Devin shares this information with his friends and is surprised to find that they had already suspected something was wrong in the home but had been reluctant to try to leave because they were well cared for. With Devin’s encouragement, the children begin to plot an escape. This proves difficult because the home is surrounded by an automated security system that kills escapees on site.



Eventually, Devin and his group of friends pit the Administrator and Ms. Babbage against each other, giving them a chance to shut down the traps that surround the home and escape with the rest of the children. Many of the children say that they will return to the city to take their chances on the streets. However, Devin invites them to his grandfather’s farm. With the extra help provided by the other children, Devin gets the farm up and running again.