“Putting me at the forefront of his thoughts drew out what little energy he had left, just as when I had focused on helping him—and I realize that this is the true core of human nature: When we’ve lost the strength to save ourselves, we somehow find the strength to save each other.”
2020 has been one heck of a year. A global pandemic, natural disasters, and (surprisingly) aliens have been a few of the main events of this very weird season of life of Earth. But do you want more? Then you add a water crisis to the mix! If you love a good-old apocalypse, this is the best time to read Dry, which published in 2018 and is written by Jarrod Shusterman and his father, Neal Shusterman—author of the outstanding Arc of the Scythe trilogy. Set sometime in the near future, the narration follows Alyssa, her little brother, Garrett, and her neighbor, Kelton, in their search for a way to survive once the area of California suddenly runs out of water.
Dry is an action movie trapped inside the pages of a book. A story that will take your breath away to such a point that you will find yourself gasping for air in the most critical points of the characters’ journey. The pace of this novel is incredibly dynamic, moving from scene to scene with precision and ease. Thanks to the different snapshot fragments they include between chapters to show the consequences of the water crisis from as many perspectives as possible, the narrative structure perfectly mimics the buildup of takes that conform a cinematic production. At the same time, for a novel that is basically plot-driven, the main characters are fully developed, each with a set of traits and skills that complement those of the others at the most necessary times.
Action-packed with the raw and desperate tone of a world in shambles, the California in the brink of apocalypse that Neal and Jarrod Shusterman create is nothing but worryingly believable. Even more so if read during the trying time that 2020 has become. There is no doubt that human behaviour is predictable, but reading Dry becomes eye-opening when some of the decisions people make during the novel could be extrapolated into our current situation. Polarising actions become increasingly clashing, as fighting for survival brings the worst and the best out of individuals. Losing or regaining faith in humanity is definitely up for the reader, who will become the judge of the characters in the novel. Would you kill for a bottle of water? Would you raid your neighbour’s house in search for a way to survive? Will you help other people and teach them how to survive? Clearly, you will not know the answer until you find yourself in such a drastic situation.
But, not everything about the novel are gunshots, fights, and chase scenes. Even if lacking on diverse representation, the Shustermans offer a thought-provoking exploration of humanity, empathy, and human behaviour when put into the most extreme situations. Subtly enough, they also put forward a discussion on how not only is the upbringing of a person influenced by socioeconomics to the very core, but also the way people confront hardships. Blissful obliviousness versus resigned survival pit the two extremes of the social ladder against each other, showing that money loses its value once society breaks apart. And if you have never had to fight for your own survival…you will have a harder time when things go south. How the tables turn, right?
Along with this poignant social commentary, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman also explore the deep influence that media has on its audience. They show how newscasts are able to control what people believe and focus on. Once a crisis arises, whether people panic or shrug things off depends on what the media wants to project into the population. As another element that can be translated into our current situation, this particular detail of their narration acquires drastic relevance to the current readership.
All things considered, Dry is an immensely entertaining novel, where action and social discussion are combined to a perfect blend. It is certain that Neal and Jarrod Shusterman’s work has the potential to become timeless, as it does not beat around the bush when portraying the best and the worst traits of human nature. No matter the crisis the world has to face, humanity never seems to learn from its mistakes, but maybe novels like these will slowly, but steadily start to open our eyes.
Dry is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival,
The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don’ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers.
Until the taps run dry.
Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbors and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life—and the life of her brother—is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.
