Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Pages: 390

Intended Audience: Mature Teens

Genre: Contemporary / Disaster

Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language, violence, and mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

Everyone’s going to remember where they were when the taps went dry.

The drought—or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it—has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s life has 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 war zone of desperation; neighbors and families turning against one another in the hunt for water. When her parents don’t return and she and her brother are threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

In reality, spring of 2019 saw California officially declared drought free after more than seven years of experiencing some type of drought. Water in California is very closely managed because rainfall is limited and occurs mostly in the winter. That’s not to say the tides can’t quickly turn. A few months without significant precipitation can threaten reservoirs.

What’s good?

The desperation becomes palpable as a group of kids go in search of water during a drought. There’s chaos and danger when Alyssa, Garrett, and Kelton have to leave their neighborhood after violence breaks out. The plot is full of twists and turns and the pace steadily increases until the dramatic end. The story is told from different characters’ viewpoints, giving interesting insight into their thoughts and fears, especially after the group dynamics get complicated when other survivors join them. Henry’s narration is funny and Jacqui is a compelling character.  

Best Part: Henry.

What isn’t good?

The chapters are long and especially daunting in the beginning because the story starts slow. While the premise is believable, the series of events that follow the group is unrealistic – nothing seems to go right for them and eventually it gets tedious. Also, the government response to the crisis is chaotic and bumbling beyond belief. The threat of serious drought has existed there for so long that there must be at least a decent plan in place.

Worst part: Their luck.

Recommendation ☺☺☺ (3.5/5)

This could have been a great book, but it was still a good book. It’s fascinating to see how disaster brings out the best in some people and the worst in others. There were some tense moments and some great action scenes. And there was a shocking turn of events that I didn’t see coming. Recommended.

Shusterman, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman. Dry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2018.