Dry - Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
There was a Christmas tree at work set up with mystery books underneath it. The wrapper for this one said something like 'Young adult dystopian climate change.' That about sums it up!
When I think of Young Adult dystopias I usually think of a futuristic science-fiction world, either fallen apart (like The Hunger Games) or still pretending to hold it all together (like Starters). Dry is quite interesting in its difference; it takes place in a world that is - to all intents and purposes - our own. There is no futuristic science going on, no government conspiracies to deal with, no underground rebellion seeking to take down the president... its far more 'real.'
And that adds to it's power.
The only change from our reality is one that we feel could happen - an extreme drought has meant that the state of California is entirely out of water.
This is the set-up, and the driving force of the plot: how do you survive, what do you do, how does society stay together or fall apart when a vital element like water is removed.
Of course, Young Adult novels do have a particular feel to them, and Dry leans into that. The parents of our characters are mostly removed from the action, and we are left following a rag-tag group of teenagers as they figure out their survival methods. Our main narrator is Alyssa, who has a younger brother Garrett to look after. Their parents go for water at a desalinization plant and don't return, meaning the siblings must now fend for themselves. But Alyssa is not the only narrator. One by one the group expands, and each new member is also given narration opportunities.
What is interesting about this, is that each new addition is more dysfunctional - and perhaps even more villainous - than the ones before them. The first new addition is Alyssa's neighbour Kelton, a doomsday prepper who has harboured a severe and slightly unhealthy crush on Alyssa for years. The second addition is Jacqui, a run-away who has been breaking and entering for a while, and has a slightly unhealthy fixation on guns. The third addition is Henry, who has begun to use the 'Tap-out' (as the crisis is called) for his own financial gain, and continues to work to manipulate the situation to his advantage as the story continues.
This group must learn to work together in order to seek for water. Various obstacles, road-blocks, health scares and even dangerous individuals stand in their way, but (as I mentioned above) on the whole these are not 'science-fiction' type obstacles, but ones that feel like they could actually happen if something like this occurred. Things do amp up, and at times the obstacles get worryingly dark (although the book doesn't actually go there, it does portray a moment where a main character faces the possibility of being raped!) but the story still finds its right balance and tone to keep the story engaging, and - mostly - 'real'. Even the body count (and there is one) is far lower than many similarly themed books.
I enjoyed Dry quite a lot. I will add it to my classroom library shelf next year and recommend it to my students. It won't be everyone's 'cup of tea', but I found it an easy and palatable glass of water.
Completed 16 December 2024.
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