The Best People in the World: A Novel

By Justin Tussing

In Paducah, Kentucky, seventeen-year-old Thomas feels as reined in as the mighty Ohio, a river confined by high floodwalls protecting his small Southern hometown. But all boundaries vanish when Thomas experiences first love with Alice, his new history teacher, a woman eight years his senior—and when he meets Shiloh, a misfit vagabond and anarchist who becomes his new role model. Fleeing to rural Vermont, this unlikely trio boldly pursues freedom, intimacy, and seclusion, unfettered by commitments and rules. But a life apart from the world does not ensure a life apart from the past—and for one of them, the past that emerges will threaten tragedy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 17, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061986871

Justin Tussing

Justin Tussing's short fiction has appeared in several publications, including The New Yorker, TriQuarterly, and Third Coast. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and he lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews for The Best People in the World

[ediedoll · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This debut novel starts with an ill-advised romance between a 17 year old boy and his teacher in Kentucky. They team up with the town drifter, and go on a road trip to New England to start a new, idyllic life as anarchic squatters in an old Vermont farmhouse. The story then twists into a claustrophobic and muddled tale of hardscrabble living and frustration through a cold Vermont winter, with a side-story concerning a holy relic and two priests from the Vatican that is completely irrelevant. The narrator in this story is personable, but I didn't believe the point of view could possibly be of a 17 year old boy. The quick romance and friendship seemed expedient, and the story itself was a mess. Despite these factors, I did enjoy this book somewhat, mostly due to the scene setting and prose of the author. I would be interested in any work he puts out in the future, but I cannot recommend this book to all but the extremely patient.