“How refreshing to have a character as witty, as vibrant, as sensitive as Nina. The Most Precious Substance on Earth is a brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny, and dangerously good coming-of-age story that offers sharp commentary on the very real realities women and girls negotiate every single day. Come for the laughter, stay for the wisdom. Shashi Bhat has crafted something special. More than a must-read, it is a must-share.” – Téa Mutonji, author of Shut Up You’re Pretty

"With language as lovely as it is razor sharp, Shashi Bhat paints an indelible portrait of the pleasure and pain of adolescence—and the scars it leaves behind. Like the young woman at its center, this novel-in-stories has a fierce voice, a soft beauty, and a huge heart."―Robin Wasserman, author of Mother Daughter Widow Wife

“Honest, hilarious, and profoundly affecting, The Most Precious Substance on Earth is rife with moments of such emotional clarity they made me gasp, and are still ringing in my mind days later. Bhat writes with such a deep understanding of the world that by the end of the book, I felt I understood it a little better, too.” – Amy Jones, author of Every Little Piece of Me

"A sharp yet profoundly tender coming-of-age story about silence. . . . This expertly written book will deeply move the reader." – Chatelaine

“Bhat approaches her weighty subject matter with grace and humor and, in doing so, finds a way of exploring trauma that is both realistic and tender. . . . [T]he novel could also be a parable for a modern world struggling to come to terms with its own secrets amid the reverberations of the #MeToo movement.
An empowering and liberatory coming-of-age novel for 'the girls who stay quiet.'" – Kirkus Reviews

 
"Bhat examines how the things left unsaid affect us in a novel that is darkly funny and deeply moving." – Quill & Quire

“High school is a setting ready-made for drama, a fact that Shashi Bhat exploits to great effect in her glorious novel. Bhat precisely captures adolescence with all its ennui and angst, and she is a master of observation, finding humour in the quotidian. Full of wit and insight, The Most Precious Substance on Earth is a joy to read. A sheer delight.” – Sharon Bala, author of The Boat People