Book Review :: Dry, by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Dry by Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman
ISBN: 1481481967
on 2018-10-02
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Source: Walker Books AUS
Goodreads

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.

Last updated on 19 January 2024

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What is Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman about?

When the Tap-Out happens, Alyssa and Garrett’s parents head to the coast to secure their own bottles of water from the government who is shipping some in. But when they don’t return, Alyssa and Garrett, along with their neighbour, Kelton (whose family has been preparing for something like this for years and years) head out to look for them. They can’t find them, but they do manage to join forces with Jacqui, steal a car, and head out to try and find water.

“Sometimes you have to be the monster to survive.”

The story follows the group (and several others which were portrayed through different points of view, interspersed with the main characters – part of the reason I didn’t give it 5 stars. It was a bit jarring. Perhaps on purpose, don’t know.) as they search for water, for their families, in this very realistic telling of insane drought.

My thoughts on Dry

There’s something about Neal Shusterman’s stories that just grab you and draw you in. They’re all about something that makes you seriously think about the world we live in, and Dry is no different. This time, Neal Shusterman has teamed up with son, Jarrod, to bring us Dry, a story about the lives of a bunch of kids when California’s water runs out.

“It sets me off giggling, which gets everyone else laughing. And it occurs to me that even in these do-or-die moments, there’s still space for us to laugh. I guess that means we still have some fight left in us.”

It’s a good read, at only 350 ish pages, and the Shustermans have definitely taken a very real dilemma, and created a story that could very well happen. Perhaps that’s why it was good; we could all see a little truth in this story, this tale of caution.

Have you read Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman?

I received this book for free from Walker Books AUS in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.