REVIEW: Dry - Neal Shusterman

Title: Dry  
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
Date Published: 2nd October 2018 
Pages: 352 
Format: Physical ARC 

“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; neighbours 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.” 

I thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly, enjoyed this book. It was captivating, it was honestly terrifying. Not terrifying in a horror story, it’s so creepy way but terrifying in an ‘OH SHIT THIS COULD REALLY HAPPEN’ kind of way. The characters were a little average at times, but they each had their redeeming features. Although I ended up really disliking Alyssa, she still had her good bits. Anyway, let’s get deeper into this! 



I just want to point out, that this was (and still is, excluding books from school) the first ever book that I’ve physically written in and annotated ON THE PAGE. I don’t know what possessed me, but as I was reading this, I had an urge to write in it. You know when you’re driving on a motorway and suddenly have this urge to open the door for no reason? That’s exactly how I felt, but this urge just didn’t go away so I gave in and alas, ended up absolutely loving it. 

I broke the spine of this book and in turn, this book nearly broke my damn heart. 

This book was full of quotes that show a different perspective. 

• “The greatest investors capitalise in times of crisis” 

I mean, this is true. This is completely fucking true and it’s sickening. That’s where the scary part of this book came in. It’s so likely to happen the way the events played out in this book, it’s honestly terrifying. People were so focused on the value of things. Got a bottle of water? Great, I’ll sell it to you for absolutely everything you own and you’ll buy it because you’ll die of dehydration without it. Sick.

• “It feels bleak. A place where hope goes to die.” And “This gated community has become a high-end morgue.” “She’s not dead, but her body doesn’t know it.” 

The harsh reality of the situation. People’s bodies rotting before they’ve died. People lying dead in their houses. No matter how much money you have, how big your house it, without water - you won’t survive. We’re all the same.

• “ When we’ve lost the strength to save ourselves, we somehow find the strength to save each other.” 

The sheer strength and determination they found to try to survive this. To try to find water. To make sure their loved ones find it with them. I don’t think anyone could ever be prepared for something like this, but the hope that people had to make it through was astounding. 

This book was so thought-provoking, it made me think a lot about what we currently value and the things we take for granted. We don’t stop to think when we turn the tap on, when we run a bath or open a bottle of water. We don’t question it because we have plenty. But maybe we should? 

I loved this book so much, it was dark & shocking at times, it made me think deeply about our society’s values and the current state of our world and I love that Neal is highlighting these issues in his books. He is slowly becoming one of my absolute favourite authors. 

But of course, it had that balance of lighthearted and funny - which I know, is odd in a book like this, but it’s so needed. Our characters had hope. And while things moved so fast and we didn’t have much time to completely get to know them, their personalities shined through their dialogue and their actions. There were some innuendos thrown in, “I’m not surprised you’re good with a stick.’ HAHA. And also some light-hearted, ‘we’re just kids’ fun - like their name for Uncle Herb. Uncle Basil. Uncle Parsley. Loved those moments. 

But you know what? The droughts and lack of water, it may be a shock to us to read about it and wonder ‘what if’, but this really happens. There are millions dying of dehydration and sickness from the lack of clean, drinkable water. It happens. 

Have you read this? I’d love to know your thoughts! 

* PS sorry if the formatting is off, and there’s no image - I’ve had to upload using my iPad and it’s been a nightmare, so we’ll just have to live with it for now! *