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As recommended by Pandora Sykes on the High Low Show podcast
‘I read The Most Dangerous Place on Earth in two chilling gulps. It’s a phenomenal first book.‘
Anthony Doerr, New York times bestselling author of All the Light We Cannot See
‘You might not think that anyone in this School sees you but I do. I mean sees you really.’
Aged thirteen, Tristan Bloch writes a love note to Calista Broderick. He thinks she is perfect. He wants to talk to her. He thinks he loves her. He could help her with her algebra homework. Cally shares the note with her best friend, Abigail, who insists that she shows it to her boyfriend Ryan, who decides to share it on Facebook: and then everyone sees it.
Before long, Tristan takes a morning ride to the Golden Gate Bridge, leaves his bike on the against the rail, and jumps.
Now, Tristan’s classmates are seventeen, dealing with tests and affairs with teachers, pressure from parents and going to parties.
These wealthy, privileged teenagers should be the happiest on earth. But the guilt of Tristan’s death follows them all…
For fans of Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why, The Secret Place, and The Interestings, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth is a smart, compelling and eye opening read.
‘With a stunning constellation of characters’ voices and a fiercely compelling story, it’s impossible to put down, or to forget.’ – Megan Abbott, author of Give Me Your Hand
‘I read The Most Dangerous Place on Earth in two chilling gulps. It’s a phenomenal first book.‘
Anthony Doerr, New York times bestselling author of All the Light We Cannot See
‘You might not think that anyone in this School sees you but I do. I mean sees you really.’
Aged thirteen, Tristan Bloch writes a love note to Calista Broderick. He thinks she is perfect. He wants to talk to her. He thinks he loves her. He could help her with her algebra homework. Cally shares the note with her best friend, Abigail, who insists that she shows it to her boyfriend Ryan, who decides to share it on Facebook: and then everyone sees it.
Before long, Tristan takes a morning ride to the Golden Gate Bridge, leaves his bike on the against the rail, and jumps.
Now, Tristan’s classmates are seventeen, dealing with tests and affairs with teachers, pressure from parents and going to parties.
These wealthy, privileged teenagers should be the happiest on earth. But the guilt of Tristan’s death follows them all…
For fans of Netflix’s Thirteen Reasons Why, The Secret Place, and The Interestings, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth is a smart, compelling and eye opening read.
‘With a stunning constellation of characters’ voices and a fiercely compelling story, it’s impossible to put down, or to forget.’ – Megan Abbott, author of Give Me Your Hand
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Reviews
In sharp and assured prose, roving among characters, Lindsey Lee Johnson plumbs the terrifying depths of a half-dozen ultraprivileged California high school kids. I read The Most Dangerous Place on Earth in two chilling gulps. It's a phenomenal first book.
An astonishing debut novel . . . With a stunning constellation of characters' voices and a fiercely compelling story, it's impossible to put down, or to forget.
The characters in Lindsey Lee Johnson's debut novel affected me in a way I can't remember feeling since I binge-watched all five seasons of Friday Night Lights. . . . You'll walk away feeling like you could revisit a hallway drama armed with bulletproof perspective.
In her stunning debut, Johnson . . . explores the fallout among a group of teens-an alpha girl turned stoner, a striving B student, an Ivy League wannabe-who prove, in the end, less entitled than simply empty and searching. An eye-opener.
Gripping . . . Each chapter offers a vignette into a more complicated interior life-ones that involve inappropriate student-teacher relationships, cheating on SATs, drugs, sex, and house parties. . . . Lindsey Lee Johnson works a convincing assortment of different voices into her debut.
In her superb first novel, Lindsey Lee Johnson deftly illuminates a certain strain of privileged American adolescence and the existential minefield these kids are forced to navigate. Elegantly constructed and beautifully written, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth reads like Jane Austen for this anxious era.
Think Sweet Valley High reimagined by the cast of American Honey. ... It is such a good read.
Elegant and impactful.