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Dry
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 take long showers, don't panic.
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, she and her younger brother must team up with an unlikely group in search of water. Each of them will need to make impossible choices to survive.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2018
2692 people are currently reading
54110 people want to read
About the author
Neal Shusterman
90 books30k followersAward-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,258 reviews
October 2, 2018
Only now do I see how dry his lips are. Not just dry but parched and chapped to the point of bleeding. None of these kids look right. Their skin is thin and almost leprous gray. The corners of their mouths are white with dried spit. And the look in their eyes is almost rabid.
It's unsettling how utterly convincing this book is. Maybe it works so well because the concept is so relevant and believable - a severe drought in Southern California is hardly fantastical - but it also has a lot to do with the way the Shusterman duo writes.
In a style somewhat reminiscent of storytellers like Stephen King, the authors paint this dystopian picture slowly, gradually, introducing a fairly large cast of characters along the way. The horrors creep quietly into a world that very closely resembles our own, making them easy to believe in. What is first a subdued desire for water becomes a pressing need, which in turn becomes an obsessive frenzy.
You can tell a lot of thought has gone into how people would behave when their lives (or worse-- the lives of their families) become threatened by a lack of water. When the people in Dry become desperate, it’s amazing and terrible what can be seen as a source of water. And let me tell you: the authors and the characters in this book get VERY creative on that front.
Could we be so desperate for drinkable water that we're willing to destroy the very machines that could create it, just to get that first sip?
The way the characters are used to tell the story here might not suit everyone. The Shustermans bring in many different perspectives in order to capture all angles of the water craze rather than focusing on one or a few individuals. I can pinpoint the main characters as Alyssa, Kelton, Garrett and Jacqui (who is freaking awesome, by the way) but I would still say this is more a book about the bigger picture, which includes many people's perspectives across the course of the novel. The characters are left racially ambiguous, some described as "olive-skinned" but of indeterminate race.
It's a standalone and so a whole lot is covered in these 350 pages. We see how a survivalist family first thrives but then becomes a target; we see how kind neighbours become enemies; we see an entrepreneurial few try to capitalize on the new hot commodity; we see the ugliness that can quickly rear its head when people are desperate.
I thought it worked really well at creating a sense of desperation and paranoia. It made ME want to go stock up on emergency supplies (I swear I'm not even joking. I found myself on this page after reading it.) Very convincing and discomfiting.
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October 3, 2018
This book is about Southern California running out of water. The situation is dire, but good fucking god, the main (female) character in this book is so mind-numbingly dumb that I don't want some water after drinking book, I want some fucking vodka, dammit. Yeah. I know the kids in this book are teenagers, but OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO STUPID. I am not exaggerating. I was literally gritting my teeth at the questionable decisions that were made in this book.
First off, the premise. I liked it. This near-future situation is pretty damn terrifying. I've lived in SoCal for almost all my life. First Orange County, now Los Angeles proper. For the past...10? years or so, we've had terrible droughts. People make fun of Southern Californians because we freak out at:
1) cold weather (read: less than 60 degrees)
2) rain
Here's my bunny in a raincoat. He has never actually needed it because, again, we don't get rain.
I'm not kidding. I love it here but it is absolutely hilarious how all the TV stations are like STORM WATCH every time a dark cloud rolls in. Every damn winter. But in any case, we freak out so much over rain because WE DON'T GET ANY OF IT. We've been under a water conservation order for so long now I can't even remember. Our lush green hills have been brown for the better part of a decade.
So yeah, the threat of NO WATER is very, very real, and very, very terrifying. I feel like the situation in the book could actually happen, down to the riots for water.
BUT THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK ARE SOOOOOOO STUPID. I absolutely abhorred the idiotic main character, who just so conveniently lived next to a dorky next door neighbor whose entire family are hardcore survivalists, who talk like this...
Then he meets my gaze, but rather than his typical bone-chilling glare, his eyes are different. Shimmering and glassy. Vulnerable. An honest display of emotion that I’ve never seen before. And in this single look I feel as if I’ve opened his personal .zip file; suddenly years of compressed emotional information comes bursting out, and I’m hit with an overwhelming truth.OH MY GOD PERSONAL ZIP FILE!!!!!!!!!! REALLY?!
But he wasn't terrible. The main character is terrible. Her entire POV is a series of regrettable situations that put not only her, but her friends, and neighbors in danger. I wanted to strangle her. Yes, I have many feelings about this book. I cannot stand an annoying, stupid narrator. So as much as I liked the premise, this book is not for me.
May 31, 2020
”As a precautionary measure, all county and municipal water districts in Southern California are temporarily rerouting all resources to critical services. But I cannot stress enough the need to keep calm. I’d like to personally assure everyone that this is a temporary situation, and that there is nothing to be concerned about.”
They said right before all hell broke loose! >_< I’m not going to lie, when I started to read this book I wasn’t all too sure if I wanted to continue with it. Not because it was bad, quite the contrary, but because the beginning of it reminded me so much of the things that happened at my country – and probably every other country in this world – when Covid-19 hit us. The government making an official statement, their attempts to contain a mass panic, their reassurance that this was all just temporary and the fact that people still went to the grocery stores and were panic buying like crazy! Hell, I think we can all agree that every country ran out of noodles, toilet paper and sanitizers for a while. XD
”So I stand, body trapped in the doorway, stuck between the threshold of what my life once was and what it will soon be, staring into the dark, a hundred eyes glowing back in the night.
And I’m scared to the bone, because right now I can’t tell if I’m looking into the eyes of sheep, or wolves.”
Still, regardless of the similarity to our own situation at the beginning of the book (yes, I found myself relating to Alyssa’s mom and her stress cleaning *lol*), “Dry” ultimately developed into an entirely different direction. It was water the MCs of this book craved for and therefore this particular doomsday scenario took a completely different turn. I’ve to admit it’s kind of tough to imagine a world without water, especially when you come from a country like mine. I mean it’s pouring buckets right as I type this review and the irony of this isn’t lost on me. Of course we also have droughts in summer that sometimes even last for weeks and become a problem for our farmers, but when things get really tough they just use their sprinklers and try to water their plants as good as they can. So, yeah you might say we can deal with draughts when they appear and more often than not our actual problems stem from having too much rain. Flooding, mudslides, avalanches in winter, you name it. Austria has seen it all. During our hot summer days that can reach between 35 – 40 degrees (Celsius scale) even I get thirsty though. ;-)
”People can be played, moved, and sacrificed. So in that way I guess you could say I’m a people person.”
This said, I don’t recommend reading “Dry” during a heat wave in summer. *lol* Before I started to read this almost every comment on my pre review warned me to keep a bottle of water close to me and what can I say? You guys weren’t kidding when you told me this book would make me thirsty. XD By the end of it I was so thirsty, I immediately went to my tap and drank a huge glass of water. And after living alongside the characters of this book I really appreciated to be able to do this!! Which brings me right to the crazy bunch of kids that’s making their way through the dry land of their state, all in the hope to find some water and to survive.
”People might do whatever they can to survive, but once they don’t have to worry about that, they’re different.”
I can’t really say that I liked those characters, but then again they were supposed to be human and to have their flaws. The person I could relate to the most was probably Alyssa, because she still believed in humanity and held tight to it no matter what. When everyone around her seemed to lose it she still tried to do the right thing and that’s something I really liked about her. Jacqui and Henry were both opportunists and did whatever they had to in order to ensure their survival. Kelton? Well, he might have been a creep but he had his heart at the right place and I’m saying this even though he compared girls with deers at the beginning of the book. *shudders* Let’s hope he learned something from their trip.
The character that shocked me the most was Garrett though, Alyssa’s little brother. For him it all seemed to be a game and he had no trouble to do the worst thing without thinking about the consequences first. Which is so typical how kids act but turned out to be really drastic in those circumstances. His childish naivety of “if this kid takes away my toy I’m going to punch it” easily turned into “if this kid takes away my toy I’m going to kill it”. If you ask me this showed how much children learn from us, how we already influence their social competence and soft skills when we teach them that they have to make compromises and can’t just punch another kid because it wants to play with their favourite toy too. (If you haven’t read it already I recommend reading “Lord of the Flies” because it plays with the idea of how children would live and act if they were left to their own devices with no adults to teach them right from wrong.)
”But there’s that moment when you realize they’re not superheroes, or villains. They’re painfully, unforgivably human. The question is, can you forgive them for being human anyway?”
This is something I really appreciate about Neal Shusterman’s books. He knows how to raise issues, he always poses important questions and he’s obviously familiar with a lot of philosophical and political theories. (I just loved the fact that Machiavelli, Hobbs, Rousseau and Maslow [indirectly] were mentioned in a conversation between the characters! My inner geek was really happy! *lol*) “Dry” made me think and wonder about a world without water and how easily things can escalate when we’re deprived of the one thing we all need in order to survive. Take away food and we can survive up to 60 days (of course it all depends on the person, their health, physical strength and other factors) take away water and we can only survive about 3 days. (7 days if you’re exceptionally lucky and all the circumstances are in your favour) Water is essential for our survival and if you ask me I don’t even want to imagine a world without it.
”I won’t take it. Because even though I’ve seen everyone around me lose their humanity today, I realize that in this moment, I have finally found mine.”
Conclusion:
“Dry” was a really suspenseful read and definitely managed to keep me at the edge of my seat. I always wanted to know what would happen next and whenever I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Shusterman seemed to make it a point to prove me wrong. If there is one thing I didn’t like about the book then it was the fact that the ending seemed to be a little rushed. The mystery about their parents didn’t really persuade me and when I closed the final page of the book my only thought was: No way! Then again, it’s such a realistic ending and no matter how much I dislike the idea, I still think that things would actually end like that. All told “Dry” was a great book and I’m glad I gave it a chance! Happy reading! =)
_________________________
Jeez Louise!!!
You guys weren’t kidding when you told me that this book makes you thirsty! *lol*
The first thing I did after reading this was to check my tap and to drink a huge glass of water.
I really enjoyed this and even though it made me thirsty as hell this was great!
I’m pondering to read Wolfgang Hohlbeins “Flut” as a balance now. Joking! XD
Anyway! Full RTC soon! Right now all I want to do is treat myself to some water. ;-P
P.S: A world without water though?! I don't even want to think about it! >_<
________________________________
So my bestie read this recently and she said it was amazing and kept her on the edge of her seat.
Since I trust her taste in books I decided to go for it too. XD
I’ve had “Dry” at home for quite a while now and was pretty sceptical if I should read it in times like these, but she says it was okay and that it didn’t give her any anxiety.
Also once my library opens again, they’ll want it back. *lol* Just one more reason to give it a shot now.
The goodreads reviews I read so far are all rather different. I think from 1 to 5 stars I saw it all.
Also how come this book is rather unknown? It’s written by Neal Shusterman and his son Jarred and “Scythe” is all over my feed. XD
Guess I’ll have to find all of those answers for myself! Still, if you’ve already read this you can comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. =)
Wish me luck!
They said right before all hell broke loose! >_< I’m not going to lie, when I started to read this book I wasn’t all too sure if I wanted to continue with it. Not because it was bad, quite the contrary, but because the beginning of it reminded me so much of the things that happened at my country – and probably every other country in this world – when Covid-19 hit us. The government making an official statement, their attempts to contain a mass panic, their reassurance that this was all just temporary and the fact that people still went to the grocery stores and were panic buying like crazy! Hell, I think we can all agree that every country ran out of noodles, toilet paper and sanitizers for a while. XD
”So I stand, body trapped in the doorway, stuck between the threshold of what my life once was and what it will soon be, staring into the dark, a hundred eyes glowing back in the night.
And I’m scared to the bone, because right now I can’t tell if I’m looking into the eyes of sheep, or wolves.”
Still, regardless of the similarity to our own situation at the beginning of the book (yes, I found myself relating to Alyssa’s mom and her stress cleaning *lol*), “Dry” ultimately developed into an entirely different direction. It was water the MCs of this book craved for and therefore this particular doomsday scenario took a completely different turn. I’ve to admit it’s kind of tough to imagine a world without water, especially when you come from a country like mine. I mean it’s pouring buckets right as I type this review and the irony of this isn’t lost on me. Of course we also have droughts in summer that sometimes even last for weeks and become a problem for our farmers, but when things get really tough they just use their sprinklers and try to water their plants as good as they can. So, yeah you might say we can deal with draughts when they appear and more often than not our actual problems stem from having too much rain. Flooding, mudslides, avalanches in winter, you name it. Austria has seen it all. During our hot summer days that can reach between 35 – 40 degrees (Celsius scale) even I get thirsty though. ;-)
”People can be played, moved, and sacrificed. So in that way I guess you could say I’m a people person.”
This said, I don’t recommend reading “Dry” during a heat wave in summer. *lol* Before I started to read this almost every comment on my pre review warned me to keep a bottle of water close to me and what can I say? You guys weren’t kidding when you told me this book would make me thirsty. XD By the end of it I was so thirsty, I immediately went to my tap and drank a huge glass of water. And after living alongside the characters of this book I really appreciated to be able to do this!! Which brings me right to the crazy bunch of kids that’s making their way through the dry land of their state, all in the hope to find some water and to survive.
”People might do whatever they can to survive, but once they don’t have to worry about that, they’re different.”
I can’t really say that I liked those characters, but then again they were supposed to be human and to have their flaws. The person I could relate to the most was probably Alyssa, because she still believed in humanity and held tight to it no matter what. When everyone around her seemed to lose it she still tried to do the right thing and that’s something I really liked about her. Jacqui and Henry were both opportunists and did whatever they had to in order to ensure their survival. Kelton? Well, he might have been a creep but he had his heart at the right place and I’m saying this even though he compared girls with deers at the beginning of the book. *shudders* Let’s hope he learned something from their trip.
The character that shocked me the most was Garrett though, Alyssa’s little brother. For him it all seemed to be a game and he had no trouble to do the worst thing without thinking about the consequences first. Which is so typical how kids act but turned out to be really drastic in those circumstances. His childish naivety of “if this kid takes away my toy I’m going to punch it” easily turned into “if this kid takes away my toy I’m going to kill it”. If you ask me this showed how much children learn from us, how we already influence their social competence and soft skills when we teach them that they have to make compromises and can’t just punch another kid because it wants to play with their favourite toy too. (If you haven’t read it already I recommend reading “Lord of the Flies” because it plays with the idea of how children would live and act if they were left to their own devices with no adults to teach them right from wrong.)
”But there’s that moment when you realize they’re not superheroes, or villains. They’re painfully, unforgivably human. The question is, can you forgive them for being human anyway?”
This is something I really appreciate about Neal Shusterman’s books. He knows how to raise issues, he always poses important questions and he’s obviously familiar with a lot of philosophical and political theories. (I just loved the fact that Machiavelli, Hobbs, Rousseau and Maslow [indirectly] were mentioned in a conversation between the characters! My inner geek was really happy! *lol*) “Dry” made me think and wonder about a world without water and how easily things can escalate when we’re deprived of the one thing we all need in order to survive. Take away food and we can survive up to 60 days (of course it all depends on the person, their health, physical strength and other factors) take away water and we can only survive about 3 days. (7 days if you’re exceptionally lucky and all the circumstances are in your favour) Water is essential for our survival and if you ask me I don’t even want to imagine a world without it.
”I won’t take it. Because even though I’ve seen everyone around me lose their humanity today, I realize that in this moment, I have finally found mine.”
Conclusion:
“Dry” was a really suspenseful read and definitely managed to keep me at the edge of my seat. I always wanted to know what would happen next and whenever I thought things couldn’t get any worse, Shusterman seemed to make it a point to prove me wrong. If there is one thing I didn’t like about the book then it was the fact that the ending seemed to be a little rushed. The mystery about their parents didn’t really persuade me and when I closed the final page of the book my only thought was: No way! Then again, it’s such a realistic ending and no matter how much I dislike the idea, I still think that things would actually end like that. All told “Dry” was a great book and I’m glad I gave it a chance! Happy reading! =)
_________________________
Jeez Louise!!!
You guys weren’t kidding when you told me that this book makes you thirsty! *lol*
The first thing I did after reading this was to check my tap and to drink a huge glass of water.
I really enjoyed this and even though it made me thirsty as hell this was great!
I’m pondering to read Wolfgang Hohlbeins “Flut” as a balance now. Joking! XD
Anyway! Full RTC soon! Right now all I want to do is treat myself to some water. ;-P
P.S: A world without water though?! I don't even want to think about it! >_<
________________________________
So my bestie read this recently and she said it was amazing and kept her on the edge of her seat.
Since I trust her taste in books I decided to go for it too. XD
I’ve had “Dry” at home for quite a while now and was pretty sceptical if I should read it in times like these, but she says it was okay and that it didn’t give her any anxiety.
Also once my library opens again, they’ll want it back. *lol* Just one more reason to give it a shot now.
The goodreads reviews I read so far are all rather different. I think from 1 to 5 stars I saw it all.
Also how come this book is rather unknown? It’s written by Neal Shusterman and his son Jarred and “Scythe” is all over my feed. XD
Guess I’ll have to find all of those answers for myself! Still, if you’ve already read this you can comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. =)
Wish me luck!
January 4, 2019
4.5, I really couldn't decide, this is definitely a 4.5 but I'm rounding up because Shusterman is amazing stars!!!
Full review featured on my blog Recipe & a Read!
So I’m sure everyone has imagined end of the world scenarios before. I’m not sure what clocks in at the top of your “oh hell no” list but for me its running zombies, nuclear winter and HAVING ABSOLUTELY NO WATER. Just the simple idea of not having good ol' H2O makes my mouth water and I reach for my cup. Well, that’s exactly the situation that takes place in Neal and Jarrod Shusterman’s Dry. Right out of the gate we drop into southern California where water rationing has taken place – but water has also been available. The government has been hiding the true depth of the problem and the citizens of southern California are completely caught off guard and unprepared when the water turns off and they enter the Tap-Out.
It’s all happening just as all the books on prepping said it would. I take no comfort in that. Not even a little. Doomsday scenarios are only fun when doomsday is just a hypothetical. Now I wish they were all wrong.
Dry is told from multiple POVs throughout but our main players here are Alyssa and her brother Garrett, Kelton and Jacqui. Alyssa, Garrett and Kelton are neighbors when the Tap-Out begins and as society unravels they form a bond that will help them survive a disaster that chips away at the sanity of even the best people. While this is ticketed as a YA novel and does have some dystopian vibes, similar to the other works I’ve read by Shusterman these characters are grounded in reality, have a level head and I think would be easy for anyone to connect with no matter their age.
I don’t want to go too much into the plot because this read is an extremely fast paced story and once I began I finished it in one sitting. What I find so refreshing about Shusterman in general is that it’s not just his characters that are grounded in reality but his stories as well. He plays on our natural fears, on humanities darkness and while all ‘end of the world’ scenarios play into the loss of our human decency, none has been quite so vivid and visceral for me as the Tap-Out.
What had seemed to be very surreal now has become vividly, luridly real.
Shusterman is a true master story weaver. It’s not just that he’s great at writing or telling a story, but at creating the intricate details and connections between characters that really leaves me in awe. As I mentioned, this is much more fast-paced and takes place over a shorter amount of time than the other works I’ve read of his. However, for the most part, very little suffers for this. The characters are well developed, the plot points are refined and pulse pounding suspense and thrill is there from start to finish. I absolutely couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page as I was reading this. There was a driving need within me to see how this played out.
The worst part about doing something inexcusable is that you can never take it back. It’s like breaking a glass. It can’t unbreak. The best you can do it sweep it up, and hope you don’t step on the slivers you left behind.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The plot, the characters, the forward progression, suspense and thrill were all incredibly enjoyable. Shusterman has quickly sky-rocketed himself to the top of my favorite authors this past year. However, the only gripe I’ll make in this is that the ending felt incredibly rushed to me. This whole thing takes place over a fairly short amount of time and I wish that the ending had been a little less neat, and / or a little less rushed. However, overall I couldn’t put this book down for a second and flew through it at lightning speed. If you're looking at reading this, I'd definitely suggest picking it up!
Full review featured on my blog Recipe & a Read!
So I’m sure everyone has imagined end of the world scenarios before. I’m not sure what clocks in at the top of your “oh hell no” list but for me its running zombies, nuclear winter and HAVING ABSOLUTELY NO WATER. Just the simple idea of not having good ol' H2O makes my mouth water and I reach for my cup. Well, that’s exactly the situation that takes place in Neal and Jarrod Shusterman’s Dry. Right out of the gate we drop into southern California where water rationing has taken place – but water has also been available. The government has been hiding the true depth of the problem and the citizens of southern California are completely caught off guard and unprepared when the water turns off and they enter the Tap-Out.
It’s all happening just as all the books on prepping said it would. I take no comfort in that. Not even a little. Doomsday scenarios are only fun when doomsday is just a hypothetical. Now I wish they were all wrong.
Dry is told from multiple POVs throughout but our main players here are Alyssa and her brother Garrett, Kelton and Jacqui. Alyssa, Garrett and Kelton are neighbors when the Tap-Out begins and as society unravels they form a bond that will help them survive a disaster that chips away at the sanity of even the best people. While this is ticketed as a YA novel and does have some dystopian vibes, similar to the other works I’ve read by Shusterman these characters are grounded in reality, have a level head and I think would be easy for anyone to connect with no matter their age.
I don’t want to go too much into the plot because this read is an extremely fast paced story and once I began I finished it in one sitting. What I find so refreshing about Shusterman in general is that it’s not just his characters that are grounded in reality but his stories as well. He plays on our natural fears, on humanities darkness and while all ‘end of the world’ scenarios play into the loss of our human decency, none has been quite so vivid and visceral for me as the Tap-Out.
What had seemed to be very surreal now has become vividly, luridly real.
Shusterman is a true master story weaver. It’s not just that he’s great at writing or telling a story, but at creating the intricate details and connections between characters that really leaves me in awe. As I mentioned, this is much more fast-paced and takes place over a shorter amount of time than the other works I’ve read of his. However, for the most part, very little suffers for this. The characters are well developed, the plot points are refined and pulse pounding suspense and thrill is there from start to finish. I absolutely couldn’t tear my eyes away from the page as I was reading this. There was a driving need within me to see how this played out.
The worst part about doing something inexcusable is that you can never take it back. It’s like breaking a glass. It can’t unbreak. The best you can do it sweep it up, and hope you don’t step on the slivers you left behind.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. The plot, the characters, the forward progression, suspense and thrill were all incredibly enjoyable. Shusterman has quickly sky-rocketed himself to the top of my favorite authors this past year. However, the only gripe I’ll make in this is that the ending felt incredibly rushed to me. This whole thing takes place over a fairly short amount of time and I wish that the ending had been a little less neat, and / or a little less rushed. However, overall I couldn’t put this book down for a second and flew through it at lightning speed. If you're looking at reading this, I'd definitely suggest picking it up!
August 15, 2018
I can definitely see this becoming a movie.
December 5, 2018
as someone who spent the first 22 years of their life growing up and living in the middle of a desert, droughts are not something new to think about. if anything, conserving water is second nature to me. but this book takes it beyond anything i have ever experienced, to an extreme that deeply frightens me, to an ever-looming reality.
true to classic shusterman style, this book delivers a ‘what if?’ situation and creates a ‘now what?’ story. and i think thats where this book gets its strength, from the possibility that this work of fiction could become our very near present. obviously, this book is highly dramatised for the sake of entertainment (i can easily see this becoming a movie), but that doesnt lessen any of the fear this story invokes.
my only critique is the ending feels a bit like a cop-out to me. for everything to be so intense and unsure throughout the entire book, the ending is wrapped up just a bit too nicely, in my opinion.
but still, i cant deny that this made want to slowly drink a large glass of ice water, savouring every drop.
↠ 3.5 stars
true to classic shusterman style, this book delivers a ‘what if?’ situation and creates a ‘now what?’ story. and i think thats where this book gets its strength, from the possibility that this work of fiction could become our very near present. obviously, this book is highly dramatised for the sake of entertainment (i can easily see this becoming a movie), but that doesnt lessen any of the fear this story invokes.
my only critique is the ending feels a bit like a cop-out to me. for everything to be so intense and unsure throughout the entire book, the ending is wrapped up just a bit too nicely, in my opinion.
but still, i cant deny that this made want to slowly drink a large glass of ice water, savouring every drop.
↠ 3.5 stars
February 24, 2018
My favourite thing about Neal Shusterman’s books is that they really make me think and see the world differently. This was such an intense survival story!
February 12, 2025
”When we've lost the strength to save ourselves, we somehow find the strength to save each other.”
FORMAT READ: Audiobook
SIMILAR VIBES: The 5th Wave, The Darkest Minds
READ FOR: post-apocalyptic road trip, thought provoking
READING LEVEL: Level 2-3 out of 5
OVERALL THOUGHTS: 4.75
I know a lot of people don’t really like this book compared to Neal Shusterman’s other works but I actually really loved this. I did have a different expectation regarding the plot when I started reading it and I think that’s why a lot of people might be turned off.
What I knew going in:
- there is a drought
What I did not know going in:
- there are more characters than just Alyssa and her brother
- there’s a bit of a squad/roadtrip/teen survival band thing going on at some point in the story (and I liked it)
- there’s a roadtrip !!
Disclaimer: I really like post-apocalyptic stories to begin with.
The book deals a lot with the different kinds of people or how people would react/survive in times of crisis. And I think the Shusterman’s did a very good job writing that. I don’t want to compare it to his other works because there are different topics that are being tackled and they’re different books.
The plot took a lot of crazy turns and it was just what I was looking for in a post-apocalyptic book about teenagers. I was on the edge the whole time and it was still able to wrap everything up well. I know not everyone is a fan of it but I really liked how these kids ganged up together to survive and they actually did a good job writing their struggles and showing through their experiences the possibilities of what could happen to humanity.
As usual, Shusterman creates a story that could not be far off from our current reality. He present the “what ifs” and does it well.
I have yet to read Unwind but I have read the Arc of a Scythe series and I loved it too. I would recommend not basing your expectations of authors on their other works and basing it on what the book presents itself to be. Some authors may change their writing style based on what a certain book’s goal is.
Dry is a pretty intense book and it is unlike any other post-apocalyptic book I have read. There were honestly parts that I had to stop and count to 10 to get my head straight again.
This is a standalone and a lot of people are saying that they did not connect with the characters. I actually think that even though we are not given in depth discussions or descriptions of each one of them, you progressively get more attached to them as the plot goes on. I actually was able to connect to the characters really well and they all have their reasons for acting the way that they do (which was also clearly written for me).
I hate to be like every other reviewer of this book… but it’s the truth: I felt so thirsty reading this and probably drank a glass of water every few chapters.
PLOT: ★★★★★
WRITING STYLE: ★★★★★
WORLD BUILDING: ★★★★★
CHARACTERS: ★★★★★
THEMES: ★★★★★
PACING: ★★★★★
PAGE TURNER: ★★★★★
PRE READ:
well… I really loved this. I found a new all-time favourite book. Mild Spoiler:
RTC cuz I stayed awake to finish reading this and I need sleep. Just know that I slept with tears in my eyes :)
//
I love reading survival/apocalyptic kind of stories. And this one makes me feel dread and I'm actually in suspense even though this isn't a thriller or anything?? HAHA
//
I'm impulse reading this book so... :)
I hope I like this because I really loved Shusterman's writing there. AND ALSO: This is read by a full cast :))
instagram | blog | ko-fi | booksirens
April 22, 2020
Read for an Aries inspired vlog https://youtu.be/voSrsRnGL68
October 26, 2018
A solid 4 star read! I very much enjoyed this book. A fantastic exploration of human nature, environmentalism, and survival. A word of advice – don’t read this book without a beverage near you. I promise, you will become VERY thirsty.
CW: violence, murder/death, sexual harassment (quid pro quo), mention of “peeping toms”
Dry is an extremely jarring novel as it a story that is so much closer to our reality than almost any novel I’ve ever read. The entire time I was reading, I was faced with the actuality that something like this could happen at ANY moment. It forces you to place yourself in the shoes of the protagonists and wonder not only what you would do to survive, but also how far you would actually go. Much of the content of this story is extremely unsettling because it is so. authentic. It reveals the darkest parts of our true humanity that none of us want to confront until it’s too late. There is so much nuance to how the characters think and react to this situation that it’s impossible for me to fully cover in a short review. For this reason, I believe this is a truly spectacular novel about the depths of humanity and the desperation of survival.
I’m slightly conflicted on the main cast of characters, but I overall enjoyed them. Though some have their eccentricities (such as coming from a family that happens to be intense survivalists), I feel they all remained authentic teens throughout the course of the story. Often times, especially in fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian young adult novels, the teens will frequently act MUCH older than their specified ages. Despite that the protagonists are forced well out of their comfort zones and put in extremely trying situations, they still maintain their personalities and their youth which I greatly enjoyed. Each character is very unique, their voices are unmistakable distinct, and they all provide value to the story.
The one element I felt was missing from the story was a greater acknowledgment of the global water crisis. I want to be extra careful discussing this point because I do not believe the authors are ignorant on this topic whatsoever – I had the opportunity to listen to both authors speak about Dry and it is extremely obvious they did extensive research for this novel as well as truly care about accessibility to clean water for all. I personally just felt this novel was a bit too American-centric. I would have been a bit more satisfied to see more of an in-text acknowledgement that lack of water is no unique situation and nearly 800 million people live without it every day. Also at the Dry even, the authors discussed that they wanted to shy away from making a very political statement within the pages of the novel, hence why the dedication is the “call to action” of the story, so I see what they were going for. I just personally think the global crisis had a place in this novel that wasn’t fulfilled.
Overall, I really am pleased I read Dry. It is definitely not my favorite Neal Shusterman book I’ve ever read as a huge fan of his books, but it maintains all of what I love from him. His descriptive writing style, fantastic world building (though the story takes place in a 100% real world setting, the set-up of the “Tap-Out” and course of it’s severity was extremely well done) and the thought-provoking nature of his storylines makes for another wonderful novel I would absolutely recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from Simon & Schuster at Book Expo 2018, but I finished the story through my own purchased copy of this book. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.
CW: violence, murder/death, sexual harassment (quid pro quo), mention of “peeping toms”
Dry is an extremely jarring novel as it a story that is so much closer to our reality than almost any novel I’ve ever read. The entire time I was reading, I was faced with the actuality that something like this could happen at ANY moment. It forces you to place yourself in the shoes of the protagonists and wonder not only what you would do to survive, but also how far you would actually go. Much of the content of this story is extremely unsettling because it is so. authentic. It reveals the darkest parts of our true humanity that none of us want to confront until it’s too late. There is so much nuance to how the characters think and react to this situation that it’s impossible for me to fully cover in a short review. For this reason, I believe this is a truly spectacular novel about the depths of humanity and the desperation of survival.
I’m slightly conflicted on the main cast of characters, but I overall enjoyed them. Though some have their eccentricities (such as coming from a family that happens to be intense survivalists), I feel they all remained authentic teens throughout the course of the story. Often times, especially in fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian young adult novels, the teens will frequently act MUCH older than their specified ages. Despite that the protagonists are forced well out of their comfort zones and put in extremely trying situations, they still maintain their personalities and their youth which I greatly enjoyed. Each character is very unique, their voices are unmistakable distinct, and they all provide value to the story.
The one element I felt was missing from the story was a greater acknowledgment of the global water crisis. I want to be extra careful discussing this point because I do not believe the authors are ignorant on this topic whatsoever – I had the opportunity to listen to both authors speak about Dry and it is extremely obvious they did extensive research for this novel as well as truly care about accessibility to clean water for all. I personally just felt this novel was a bit too American-centric. I would have been a bit more satisfied to see more of an in-text acknowledgement that lack of water is no unique situation and nearly 800 million people live without it every day. Also at the Dry even, the authors discussed that they wanted to shy away from making a very political statement within the pages of the novel, hence why the dedication is the “call to action” of the story, so I see what they were going for. I just personally think the global crisis had a place in this novel that wasn’t fulfilled.
Overall, I really am pleased I read Dry. It is definitely not my favorite Neal Shusterman book I’ve ever read as a huge fan of his books, but it maintains all of what I love from him. His descriptive writing style, fantastic world building (though the story takes place in a 100% real world setting, the set-up of the “Tap-Out” and course of it’s severity was extremely well done) and the thought-provoking nature of his storylines makes for another wonderful novel I would absolutely recommend.
I received a free copy of this book from Simon & Schuster at Book Expo 2018, but I finished the story through my own purchased copy of this book. I had no obligation to review this book and all opinions are my own.
August 6, 2019
This was quite a fast and entertaining read and it definitely made me crave water like crazy whenever I was reading it. Sadly I was insanely disappointed by the ending (the reason is in the little spoiler section further down, can't really say what bothers me without spoiling, sorry lol)
*spoilers ahead*
Man, y'all really need to start killing your characters.
The "shooting themselves" would've been a great ending. But nooooo... of course it had to be a happy one. Ugh.
*spoilers ahead*
Man, y'all really need to start killing your characters.
The "shooting themselves" would've been a great ending. But nooooo... of course it had to be a happy one. Ugh.
January 8, 2020
a disclaimer that my biggest disappointment is @myself for taking a month to read a book by Neal Shusterman.
look, it wasn’t bad at all. it was just so... boring to get through at times. and this is coming from someone who loves the way Shusterman builds suspense. but in Dry I just didn’t feel that same connection to the plot or the characters.
the premise was obviously amazing + very scary (in a way) to read about. especially considering how real the concept started to feel; Shusterman didn’t overdo it with the idea of “the Tap-Out” which gave it an overall very realistic feel.
the story
alyssa and garret are two siblings living happily in southern california (despite a shortage of water and lots of rules about how to use water etc. etc.) when the Tap-Out happens. quite literally, the water supply stops. from there it’s just complete chaos everywhere, people rushing to get their hands on any water they can. when their parents don’t return from a trip to the emergency water trucks, alyssa and garret set off to find them along with their neighbour kelton. but it’s what they see there, in the complete ruckus, that sets them off on a fight for survival. along the way they meet jacqui and henry, two young teenagers who have interesting pasts of their own. they come together in search for water, and ultimately the answers to humanity. when life or death depends on a sip of water, are we selfless enough to give it up, or will survival instinct kick in?
my thoughts
- ok so here’s the thing, this was in no way a bad book.
- I just can’t help feeling underwhelmed by everything; the character development, the entire plot
- the idea had so much potential and a lot of it I felt was wasted on just travelling from place to place
- there were quite a few things I did like- the beginning scenes of the Tap-Out felt all too realistic. made me want to stock up on water myself. the savagery and fight for survival became a highlighted theme through the first half of the book
- kelton’s whole house was pretty amazing. it’s funny how the entire neighbourhood judged them for their precautions until kelton’s family was proven right
- i think both of kelton’s parents were very complex characters in their own right and I genuinely loved those chapters
- character development was lacking a lot. i really couldn’t feel any connection to any of them, and the dynamic between all of them felt very off. granted, they were all in some way “misfits” that came together in desperation but there could have been a lot more done with this friendship built out of necessity, if that makes sense.
- not a lot of secondary characters were highlighted at all which I only noticed because of how little I was able to connect with the main characters
- i also had some ~feelings~ about that ending
-
characters
- alyssa: can’t lie she was pretty generic. kinda had that natural leader vibe. can’t really say much more about her, I think the development was lacking
-kelton: i honestly feel like his character was split into two. the kelton we were introduced to at the beginning of the book abruptly changes halfway through (as a result of trauma, yes, but it was very abrupt) to the point where I couldn’t even recognize that the two versions of him were the same. i did, surprisingly, enjoy reading his chapters though.
-jacqui: i loved her!! i think there was incredible potential to craft her character more by giving a proper backstory etc. because of of how mysterious and wild she seemed.m
-henry: ok can we not talk about him? the authors definitely succeeded in making him very unlikeable though, I have to give it to ‘em. it’s rare for a fictional character to get on my nerves the way henry did.
-garret: so cute and wholesome! definitely wish there was more of him. he was more logical than all of the others combined.
final thoughts
i just wish there had been so much more done with this incredible idea. maybe it was just a “me” thing, unable to click with the book or the characters; but I really didn’t enjoy the read like I thought I would. (this is very likely due to the fact that it pales in comparison to Scythe and Thunderhead, the two other books I’ve read from Shusterman. can’t even blame me, the man set the standards high himself )
look, it wasn’t bad at all. it was just so... boring to get through at times. and this is coming from someone who loves the way Shusterman builds suspense. but in Dry I just didn’t feel that same connection to the plot or the characters.
the premise was obviously amazing + very scary (in a way) to read about. especially considering how real the concept started to feel; Shusterman didn’t overdo it with the idea of “the Tap-Out” which gave it an overall very realistic feel.
the story
alyssa and garret are two siblings living happily in southern california (despite a shortage of water and lots of rules about how to use water etc. etc.) when the Tap-Out happens. quite literally, the water supply stops. from there it’s just complete chaos everywhere, people rushing to get their hands on any water they can. when their parents don’t return from a trip to the emergency water trucks, alyssa and garret set off to find them along with their neighbour kelton. but it’s what they see there, in the complete ruckus, that sets them off on a fight for survival. along the way they meet jacqui and henry, two young teenagers who have interesting pasts of their own. they come together in search for water, and ultimately the answers to humanity. when life or death depends on a sip of water, are we selfless enough to give it up, or will survival instinct kick in?
my thoughts
- ok so here’s the thing, this was in no way a bad book.
- I just can’t help feeling underwhelmed by everything; the character development, the entire plot
- the idea had so much potential and a lot of it I felt was wasted on just travelling from place to place
- there were quite a few things I did like- the beginning scenes of the Tap-Out felt all too realistic. made me want to stock up on water myself. the savagery and fight for survival became a highlighted theme through the first half of the book
- kelton’s whole house was pretty amazing. it’s funny how the entire neighbourhood judged them for their precautions until kelton’s family was proven right
- i think both of kelton’s parents were very complex characters in their own right and I genuinely loved those chapters
- character development was lacking a lot. i really couldn’t feel any connection to any of them, and the dynamic between all of them felt very off. granted, they were all in some way “misfits” that came together in desperation but there could have been a lot more done with this friendship built out of necessity, if that makes sense.
- not a lot of secondary characters were highlighted at all which I only noticed because of how little I was able to connect with the main characters
- i also had some ~feelings~ about that ending
-
characters
- alyssa: can’t lie she was pretty generic. kinda had that natural leader vibe. can’t really say much more about her, I think the development was lacking
-kelton: i honestly feel like his character was split into two. the kelton we were introduced to at the beginning of the book abruptly changes halfway through (as a result of trauma, yes, but it was very abrupt) to the point where I couldn’t even recognize that the two versions of him were the same. i did, surprisingly, enjoy reading his chapters though.
-jacqui: i loved her!! i think there was incredible potential to craft her character more by giving a proper backstory etc. because of of how mysterious and wild she seemed.m
-henry: ok can we not talk about him? the authors definitely succeeded in making him very unlikeable though, I have to give it to ‘em. it’s rare for a fictional character to get on my nerves the way henry did.
-garret: so cute and wholesome! definitely wish there was more of him. he was more logical than all of the others combined.
final thoughts
i just wish there had been so much more done with this incredible idea. maybe it was just a “me” thing, unable to click with the book or the characters; but I really didn’t enjoy the read like I thought I would. (this is very likely due to the fact that it pales in comparison to Scythe and Thunderhead, the two other books I’ve read from Shusterman. can’t even blame me, the man set the standards high himself )
January 12, 2022
What an amazing book! I love the way Neal Shusterman always takes a what-if scenario and morphs it to freaky disaster proportions. In this case, he and co-author Jared Shusterman have got a not-too-improbable scenario where southern California is having a drought, and FEMA decides to prefer one disaster over another while leaving some citizens hung out to dry (gee, THAT hasn’t happened in recent history.) When the water in the taps gets shut off and suddenly all that’s left is what was in your house or on the store shelves the moment the taps ran dry, predictably, humankind turns into a pack of savages, or as Shusterman(s) call it—water zombies.
And really, this DOES have the feel of a zombie book, in an absolutely cool way. There is almost no humanity in the behavior we see portrayed in sickening detail, from stores, to mobs, to price gougers, to opportunists, to predatory. It is sickening, and the sad thing is, while you want to curl your lip in disgust and swear these creatures are beneath you, that you would never do something like this, the flip side of this coin is how realistically the authors paint their desperation. Is it any easier to stand by and do nothing while you watch your loved ones die before your eyes? How many of us wouldn’t pick up spears and turn feral if it was the only way to survive? A truly great Shusterman book.
Trigger Warnings:
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
And really, this DOES have the feel of a zombie book, in an absolutely cool way. There is almost no humanity in the behavior we see portrayed in sickening detail, from stores, to mobs, to price gougers, to opportunists, to predatory. It is sickening, and the sad thing is, while you want to curl your lip in disgust and swear these creatures are beneath you, that you would never do something like this, the flip side of this coin is how realistically the authors paint their desperation. Is it any easier to stand by and do nothing while you watch your loved ones die before your eyes? How many of us wouldn’t pick up spears and turn feral if it was the only way to survive? A truly great Shusterman book.
Trigger Warnings:
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
July 13, 2020
حین خوندن این کتاب اخبار غیزانیه پخش شد و مردمی که برای داشتن آب! اعتراض کردن و طبق معمول با گلوله ازشون استقبال شد و سرکوب شدن
بگذریم..
برخلاف داستان های قبلی شوسترمن که ایده های خاص داشتند، ایده ی کلی این کتاب جدید نیست. داستان چندتا نوجوون و یه بچه ی ده ساله در دوران بی آبی شدیده. هر بخش هم به صورت اول شخص از دیدگاه یکی از این نوجوون ها روایت میشه
درسته کلیت داستان به ذهن هرکسی میرسه ولی اتفاقات و درگیری شخصیت ها بسیار جذابه
مشکلی که اخیرا با خیلی از داستان ها دارم اینه که اولش جالب و جذابن ولی بعد یه مدت دچار افت شدید میشن و فقط دوس دارم تمومشون کنم. خب این قضیه در مورد این یکی صدق نمیکنه. هرچی جلوتر رفت نه تنها افت نکرد، هی بهتر و بهتر هم شد
شخصیت پردازی ها هم عالیه
این کتاب یه شخصیت داره که به جرأت میگم، از زمان جافری باراتیون، چنین شخصیت نفرت انگیزی ندیدم. دوس داشتم از تو کتاب بکشمش بیرون و با چنگال زجرکشش کنم
اتفاقا اگه قرار شه یه روز اقتباس سینمایی هم ازش ساخته شه، همون جک گلیسون بهترین انتخاب ممکنه برای اون شخصیت :))
خلاصه اینکه بخونید و تصویری کوتاه از آینده ای که شدیدا به واقعیت نزدیکه، ببینید
بگذریم..
برخلاف داستان های قبلی شوسترمن که ایده های خاص داشتند، ایده ی کلی این کتاب جدید نیست. داستان چندتا نوجوون و یه بچه ی ده ساله در دوران بی آبی شدیده. هر بخش هم به صورت اول شخص از دیدگاه یکی از این نوجوون ها روایت میشه
درسته کلیت داستان به ذهن هرکسی میرسه ولی اتفاقات و درگیری شخصیت ها بسیار جذابه
مشکلی که اخیرا با خیلی از داستان ها دارم اینه که اولش جالب و جذابن ولی بعد یه مدت دچار افت شدید میشن و فقط دوس دارم تمومشون کنم. خب این قضیه در مورد این یکی صدق نمیکنه. هرچی جلوتر رفت نه تنها افت نکرد، هی بهتر و بهتر هم شد
شخصیت پردازی ها هم عالیه
این کتاب یه شخصیت داره که به جرأت میگم، از زمان جافری باراتیون، چنین شخصیت نفرت انگیزی ندیدم. دوس داشتم از تو کتاب بکشمش بیرون و با چنگال زجرکشش کنم
اتفاقا اگه قرار شه یه روز اقتباس سینمایی هم ازش ساخته شه، همون جک گلیسون بهترین انتخاب ممکنه برای اون شخصیت :))
خلاصه اینکه بخونید و تصویری کوتاه از آینده ای که شدیدا به واقعیت نزدیکه، ببینید
October 13, 2018
I got this book because of a Bookbub promo (yes, again!) where the price of 0,00$ looked way to good to be true, and it was. Because I soon realized it was only a sample. Anyway, I got so hooked on the plot that I ended up getting the rest of the book, and I’m happy I did. This book was unputdownable. Not once did I check how many pages were left in a chapter, probably because I was too busy worrying and cursing when another sip of water proven undrinkable (not to mention my longing for Alyssa and Kelton to realise they were made for each other!). Oh, and what about the fact that Neal Shusterman’s co-author is his son? I mean how cool and heart-melting is that?!
June 3, 2020
4.5 thirsty STARS ★★★★✬
⤐ Overall.
I was never so thirsty while reading a book. Never. And I don't mean the naughty kind.
The thirst, my goodness, it was ruthless. No pity. Ungraceful jugging of water every 10 minutes. No composure whatsoever.
Once a book starts affecting you physically it's obvious you will finish it and if it's the last thing you do. The minute I learned about the tap out, I started downing cups like I was on the losing side of a match of beer pong - except they were filled to the brim with water and I took the greatest care not to waste a single drop. My thirst could not be killed. I remember having to go to the bathroom two times that first night I started The Dry. Needless to say, we're dealing with first-class worldbuilding. I was literally expecting neighbours to knock on the door and steal our non-existent water reserves.
I honestly can't even tell you what specific thing it is that makes this such a great experience. The overall package is just unbeatable. Generally, the dystopian genre is packed with over-the-top narratives that lack plausibility just as well as grip, in my opinion. Especially if they're a series. Contrary to the status quo, The Dry works with a very relatable plot that is captivating in its simple realism. Mobs of desperate citizens raiding well-stocked houses, kids-turned-zombies that don't shy away from weapons, evil people exploiting the chaos to bring even more darkness into the world.
Usually, I'm not a fan of multiple points of view but the Shusterman duo convinced me with the suspense it was creating. Dramatic irony will forever be one of my favourite writing instruments if used smartly. And boy, were the authors smart about it. The multiple POVs also allowed for more time with the individual characters something I found myself weirdly appreciative of this time around.
⤐ What’s happening.
Everyone can remember the exact moment the tap out was announced. Alyssa is standing in the kitchen. Her family decides just a tad to late to hit the stores to stock up. And before she knows it, she's thirstier than she's ever been. The neighbours feel more like aliens with every day that passes.
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 4*
plot/story in general = 5*
plot development = 5*
characters = 5*
enjoyability = 4*
insightfulness = 5*
This book is for you if… you enjoy realistic scenarios that are distinctly dystopian. Do you long to physically feel the plot? I am glad to report your search is over. Your bodily functions will not be the same while reading this.
⤐ Overall.
I was never so thirsty while reading a book. Never. And I don't mean the naughty kind.
The thirst, my goodness, it was ruthless. No pity. Ungraceful jugging of water every 10 minutes. No composure whatsoever.
Once a book starts affecting you physically it's obvious you will finish it and if it's the last thing you do. The minute I learned about the tap out, I started downing cups like I was on the losing side of a match of beer pong - except they were filled to the brim with water and I took the greatest care not to waste a single drop. My thirst could not be killed. I remember having to go to the bathroom two times that first night I started The Dry. Needless to say, we're dealing with first-class worldbuilding. I was literally expecting neighbours to knock on the door and steal our non-existent water reserves.
I honestly can't even tell you what specific thing it is that makes this such a great experience. The overall package is just unbeatable. Generally, the dystopian genre is packed with over-the-top narratives that lack plausibility just as well as grip, in my opinion. Especially if they're a series. Contrary to the status quo, The Dry works with a very relatable plot that is captivating in its simple realism. Mobs of desperate citizens raiding well-stocked houses, kids-turned-zombies that don't shy away from weapons, evil people exploiting the chaos to bring even more darkness into the world.
Usually, I'm not a fan of multiple points of view but the Shusterman duo convinced me with the suspense it was creating. Dramatic irony will forever be one of my favourite writing instruments if used smartly. And boy, were the authors smart about it. The multiple POVs also allowed for more time with the individual characters something I found myself weirdly appreciative of this time around.
⤐ What’s happening.
‘...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.’
Everyone can remember the exact moment the tap out was announced. Alyssa is standing in the kitchen. Her family decides just a tad to late to hit the stores to stock up. And before she knows it, she's thirstier than she's ever been. The neighbours feel more like aliens with every day that passes.
Con:
⇢ the thirst
⇢ the thirst
⇢ the thirst
Pro:
⇢ survival specialists for neighbours
⇢ tough cookie to the core
⇢ not all humans let you down
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 4*
plot/story in general = 5*
plot development = 5*
characters = 5*
enjoyability = 4*
insightfulness = 5*
January 4, 2020
I feel illogically guilty about the amount of water I drank while listening to this book. I’m a huge water consumer daily, and I mean HUGE, like 4 liters of just plain water alone, so this drought end-of-the-world scenario is THE WORST NIGHTMARE FOR ME!
If I was in these characters’ shoes, this book would have gone much much much different than this. For one thing, it would have been entirely in diary form and there would be no conversions between me and anyone at all period.
I don’t get why these people just kept talking??? HELLOOOO! You’re gonna get thirsty just from that alone!!
Shut your trap everybody, conserve all source of fluid in your body immediately!
Audiobook rating: ★★★★½
Book rating: ★★★½
If I was in these characters’ shoes, this book would have gone much much much different than this. For one thing, it would have been entirely in diary form and there would be no conversions between me and anyone at all period.
I don’t get why these people just kept talking??? HELLOOOO! You’re gonna get thirsty just from that alone!!
Shut your trap everybody, conserve all source of fluid in your body immediately!
Audiobook rating: ★★★★½
Book rating: ★★★½
May 15, 2019
Book Reviewed by Nia on www.whisperingstories.com
This is a really well written title with a rock solid premise – California has run out of water. Everyone sort-of knew it was coming but was sure that there would be some plans in place to make sure that nobody would suffer once the taps stopped working, this was their biggest mistake.
The story follows to lives of a group of kids from very different backgrounds and how they cope in this disaster. Alyssa and her brother, Garett, are from a normal suburban household and weren’t prepared for this at all but they adapt well to the situation while Kelton, their next door neighbour is from a doomsday prepping family. In their search for safety and water, they meet a couple of other teens who I felt weren’t as well developed as characters so I struggled to sympathise with them.
The book flips perspectives between the characters, which is something I love – seeing the same story through the eyes of everyone involved.
I enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book much more than the ending, I would have much rather there had be a sequel and the story ended in a more satisfying way than the current ending that I felt was a bit rushed and left too many loose ends. That said, I have read other books by the author Neal Shusterman and hold him to a very high standard so I might just be being picky here…
This is a really well written title with a rock solid premise – California has run out of water. Everyone sort-of knew it was coming but was sure that there would be some plans in place to make sure that nobody would suffer once the taps stopped working, this was their biggest mistake.
The story follows to lives of a group of kids from very different backgrounds and how they cope in this disaster. Alyssa and her brother, Garett, are from a normal suburban household and weren’t prepared for this at all but they adapt well to the situation while Kelton, their next door neighbour is from a doomsday prepping family. In their search for safety and water, they meet a couple of other teens who I felt weren’t as well developed as characters so I struggled to sympathise with them.
The book flips perspectives between the characters, which is something I love – seeing the same story through the eyes of everyone involved.
I enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book much more than the ending, I would have much rather there had be a sequel and the story ended in a more satisfying way than the current ending that I felt was a bit rushed and left too many loose ends. That said, I have read other books by the author Neal Shusterman and hold him to a very high standard so I might just be being picky here…
December 10, 2018
3.5/5 stars
Well I started this book in the late morning and now it’s late afternoon and I have finished. The fastest I’ve ever read 390 pages.
___________________
So I resolved to dedicate the rest of 2018 to reading only fantasy books (adult mostly, with one or two YA thrown in). But for Dry I made an exception because when Shusterman writes a new dystopian I must read it!
This was an impossible to put down read, definitely, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be, unfortunately. Which kind of doesn't makes sense said together like that, but hear me out. The writing, the pace and the subject were gripping, but the character development together with some plot holes definitely put a damp into it.
The beautiful and also scary thing about Shusterman's books, is that they feel so real. So freaking real. This might as well have been a news report on TV - it was so believable. And that is the scary part of it. Sure, Dry is just a book, today. But tomorrow, or 2 years from now it might as well be a reality.
California draught is a real thing that has been happening, and as far as I can tell will only get worse. But will it come to the events that this fiction book portrayed? I think it will. And I also think that it will come to even worse of an outcome.
Environmental tendencies and using is the real reason why I love Neil Shusterman so much. Scythe was full of them , and Dry has even more. And I truly think that it's just way we need. We need to read about what might happen to us if we keep living the way we live now. We need to see the ugly side of humanity, if only so we can prevent it in the future. Hopefully. The sad part is, the natural disaster wasn't a true problem in this book. The true problem were the people who created the disaster in the first place. And who handled it so terribly wrong. I don't think that the planet will eventually kill us. I think that we will kill each other first.
The writing was superb. The pace made this book read like a movie - which I loved. The characters .... Ehh. They were good, or they had good potentials but I don't think any of them reached it. They just weren't flushed out enough. It may have to do with too many POV's throughout the book. The reader never got a chance to fully attach to a specific character, really.
The plot also had quite a few holes and things that weren't explained well enough (why was a 13 year old home alone for weeks? Were there two helicopters at the end? and many more...). I honestly kept wishing for more water shortage related facts - how they got there, how other states near the lake managed to be okay, but only California crashed and burned. I just wanted more science behind the disaster. But nook instead focused largely on the characters and how they were navigating it, which is fine, but I wanted more of a background.
Also, I thought it was quite comical that when we finally get a sensible YA main character it feels very weird at first. I couldn't understand why this girl was so mature and why wasn't she boy crazy and drowning in puberty? Which is embarrassing to admit, but it is what I've come to expect from YA books. But I seemed to forget that this is Shusterman we are taking about. And his girl characters rock hard (looking at you Citra!).
In the end, while I do think that the book could use a bit more flushing out and a bit more plot development I still absolutely recommend it to everyone. If only for the topic that it covers. It's so important. And we need more books like this. Real life dystopian books (is that a genre?Can it be one?)
Big thanks to the Simon TEEN publishing and Simon and Schuster books for young readers for sending me an advanced copy for the review. All opinions are my own, honest and come from the heart.
My WEBSITE
My INSTAGRAM
Well I started this book in the late morning and now it’s late afternoon and I have finished. The fastest I’ve ever read 390 pages.
___________________
So I resolved to dedicate the rest of 2018 to reading only fantasy books (adult mostly, with one or two YA thrown in). But for Dry I made an exception because when Shusterman writes a new dystopian I must read it!
This was an impossible to put down read, definitely, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be, unfortunately. Which kind of doesn't makes sense said together like that, but hear me out. The writing, the pace and the subject were gripping, but the character development together with some plot holes definitely put a damp into it.
The beautiful and also scary thing about Shusterman's books, is that they feel so real. So freaking real. This might as well have been a news report on TV - it was so believable. And that is the scary part of it. Sure, Dry is just a book, today. But tomorrow, or 2 years from now it might as well be a reality.
California draught is a real thing that has been happening, and as far as I can tell will only get worse. But will it come to the events that this fiction book portrayed? I think it will. And I also think that it will come to even worse of an outcome.
Environmental tendencies and using is the real reason why I love Neil Shusterman so much. Scythe was full of them , and Dry has even more. And I truly think that it's just way we need. We need to read about what might happen to us if we keep living the way we live now. We need to see the ugly side of humanity, if only so we can prevent it in the future. Hopefully. The sad part is, the natural disaster wasn't a true problem in this book. The true problem were the people who created the disaster in the first place. And who handled it so terribly wrong. I don't think that the planet will eventually kill us. I think that we will kill each other first.
The writing was superb. The pace made this book read like a movie - which I loved. The characters .... Ehh. They were good, or they had good potentials but I don't think any of them reached it. They just weren't flushed out enough. It may have to do with too many POV's throughout the book. The reader never got a chance to fully attach to a specific character, really.
The plot also had quite a few holes and things that weren't explained well enough (why was a 13 year old home alone for weeks? Were there two helicopters at the end? and many more...). I honestly kept wishing for more water shortage related facts - how they got there, how other states near the lake managed to be okay, but only California crashed and burned. I just wanted more science behind the disaster. But nook instead focused largely on the characters and how they were navigating it, which is fine, but I wanted more of a background.
Also, I thought it was quite comical that when we finally get a sensible YA main character it feels very weird at first. I couldn't understand why this girl was so mature and why wasn't she boy crazy and drowning in puberty? Which is embarrassing to admit, but it is what I've come to expect from YA books. But I seemed to forget that this is Shusterman we are taking about. And his girl characters rock hard (looking at you Citra!).
In the end, while I do think that the book could use a bit more flushing out and a bit more plot development I still absolutely recommend it to everyone. If only for the topic that it covers. It's so important. And we need more books like this. Real life dystopian books (is that a genre?Can it be one?)
Big thanks to the Simon TEEN publishing and Simon and Schuster books for young readers for sending me an advanced copy for the review. All opinions are my own, honest and come from the heart.
My WEBSITE
My INSTAGRAM
May 24, 2020
This book kept reminding me of H2O. It's the same general idea but instead of a a drought, it's a sci-fi poisonous rain. I'm my opinion, this book did it much better. (Sorry, Virginia Bergin! 😐)
The idea of this book is honestly one of the most terrifying dystopian plots I've ever read. With most dystopias, the book is set far ahead in the future but this book is set in the near future. Possibly even the present *shudders*
Now, I know there are some people that say the book is totally unrealistic. And rightly so but sometimes that's the whole point of a book. This book, in my opinion, serves as a warning. A cautionary tale. YEes, it had a happy ending but still.
I find it funny (and by funny I mean not funny at all) that when all help breaks loose, people's true natures show. Greed, pride, selfishness, kindess, loyalty, bravery. I like to think that I would be good. We all do. But the things is no one is truly kind. Just as no one is truly evil. Everyone is a blend.
As far as the actual story goes: I loved it. It was the perfect pace for me. The plot never petered out. Plus happy ending. Yay! Not something you see much in dystopian books. 😂
Characters
I love a good cast of characters. This book was no exception. There were badass characters. There were comic relief characters. Etc. Every time things were tense a joke was thrown in and made everything better. at the same time, everyone was so smart and clear in their thinking which is not something most people are able to do in a crisis.
Bottom Line:
4 Stars: Totally loved up to the hype. Also, Neal Shusterman is an amazing author.
Age Recommendation: 14+ (super violent and heavy)
Character's: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
P.S. OMG! I was able to write a review. Progress!!!!
lol. i wrote this review in January of 2019 (it's January of 2020) where 1. I wasn't making any progress and 2. the sh*t I was going through was barely the tip of the iceberg
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The idea of this book is honestly one of the most terrifying dystopian plots I've ever read. With most dystopias, the book is set far ahead in the future but this book is set in the near future. Possibly even the present *shudders*
Now, I know there are some people that say the book is totally unrealistic. And rightly so but sometimes that's the whole point of a book. This book, in my opinion, serves as a warning. A cautionary tale. YEes, it had a happy ending but still.
I find it funny (and by funny I mean not funny at all) that when all help breaks loose, people's true natures show. Greed, pride, selfishness, kindess, loyalty, bravery. I like to think that I would be good. We all do. But the things is no one is truly kind. Just as no one is truly evil. Everyone is a blend.
As far as the actual story goes: I loved it. It was the perfect pace for me. The plot never petered out. Plus happy ending. Yay! Not something you see much in dystopian books. 😂
Characters
I love a good cast of characters. This book was no exception. There were badass characters. There were comic relief characters. Etc. Every time things were tense a joke was thrown in and made everything better. at the same time, everyone was so smart and clear in their thinking which is not something most people are able to do in a crisis.
Bottom Line:
4 Stars: Totally loved up to the hype. Also, Neal Shusterman is an amazing author.
Age Recommendation: 14+ (super violent and heavy)
Character's: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
lol. i wrote this review in January of 2019 (it's January of 2020) where 1. I wasn't making any progress and 2. the sh*t I was going through was barely the tip of the iceberg
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September 9, 2020
See, this is meant to be dystopian, and like yes, it is, a full-on massive water shortage has yet to occur in California, for now. I’m never been to the United States, so I can’t say what exactly what their water levels are like. However, living in Australia, and even just looking at the news, water shortages are becoming more and more common all around the world. I remember seeing images of people in Cape Town lining up with buckets to get water, or that even Sydney had to undergo water restrictions last year. Not to mention entire countries like India or many sub-Saharan countries are facing increased water shortages due to climate change bringing about more droughts and unpredictable rainfall. So, while it is technically dystopian, it also feels frighteningly real at the events that we will almost certainly face in the near future.
For the most part, I liked this book and after thinking over it, I have both positive and negative thoughts on it. The part I think it did the best on, was to really show this level of desperation and at how fast a so-called civilised society can descend into anarchy over something crucial to survival like water. I found it was able to really show how desperate people become and I suppose fall back onto out ‘animal’ instincts on doing nothing more than just survive, even if it means to beat back your friends and family to emerge on the top of the pack. Having these people who are dubbed water zombies by the main characters only adds to this and there are some pretty disgusting and disturbing things at what people will do to survive.
On the writing, it managed to be generally pretty tense and exciting, with pretty high stakes. However, there were some moments that pretty weird, especially where there was this one metaphor that went on for an entire paragraph on comparing women to deer and that you had to catch them or whatever, like ugh, no thanks. That was probably the main one, but there were some passages that I didn’t or couldn’t exactly vibe with and were pretty unnecessary and for me personally, sort of took away from the overall immersion of it.
The plot was fine, if not with some aspects being slightly predictable. There was quite a lot of shock value in some of the things that happened for sure. It’s essentially a happy ending for everyone, and I almost wanted for maybe a character death to have happened, as I feel it would end up being more meaningful to the reader as we read that lots of people died from the water crisis, but nobody that the reader is able to connect with in the novel, so it felt that the ending was slightly anticlimactic, as it was like, oh look, everyone’s fine. The ending was felt a bit rushed, as it was all wrapped up in just a few pages and maybe could have been prolonged slightly, even if just to see the effects the events of the novel had on the characters, as there is not much character development as everything does happen to quickly.
There were these random POV points that were meant to sure the situation of the crisis beyond the lens of the four primary POV characters. I didn’t love or hate that aspect, and I definitely got what the authors were going for here, as to show the reader what is happening elsewhere. However, I felt a lot of them really were not that meaningful and even though most of them were fairly interesting to read about, it didn’t really contribute much to the overall story.
The characters were ok. For me, they weren’t brilliant, but nor were they poorly written. I certainly would have liked a bit more depth and maybe more personality, but that’s being a bit picky, considering it is a YA novel. At least Kelton acknowledged himself that he’s a massive creep. The sort of romance that doesn’t really start until the very end felt sort of forced, especially with some of the events in the novel that led up to it and the things between the two characters.
So overall, I enjoyed it, though there were some things I had issues with. I haven’t read anything by Jarrod Shusterman, but I have read the Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman, which I really enjoyed, and didn’t find Dry to be as good as that. 6.5/10
For the most part, I liked this book and after thinking over it, I have both positive and negative thoughts on it. The part I think it did the best on, was to really show this level of desperation and at how fast a so-called civilised society can descend into anarchy over something crucial to survival like water. I found it was able to really show how desperate people become and I suppose fall back onto out ‘animal’ instincts on doing nothing more than just survive, even if it means to beat back your friends and family to emerge on the top of the pack. Having these people who are dubbed water zombies by the main characters only adds to this and there are some pretty disgusting and disturbing things at what people will do to survive.
On the writing, it managed to be generally pretty tense and exciting, with pretty high stakes. However, there were some moments that pretty weird, especially where there was this one metaphor that went on for an entire paragraph on comparing women to deer and that you had to catch them or whatever, like ugh, no thanks. That was probably the main one, but there were some passages that I didn’t or couldn’t exactly vibe with and were pretty unnecessary and for me personally, sort of took away from the overall immersion of it.
The plot was fine, if not with some aspects being slightly predictable. There was quite a lot of shock value in some of the things that happened for sure. It’s essentially a happy ending for everyone, and I almost wanted for maybe a character death to have happened, as I feel it would end up being more meaningful to the reader as we read that lots of people died from the water crisis, but nobody that the reader is able to connect with in the novel, so it felt that the ending was slightly anticlimactic, as it was like, oh look, everyone’s fine. The ending was felt a bit rushed, as it was all wrapped up in just a few pages and maybe could have been prolonged slightly, even if just to see the effects the events of the novel had on the characters, as there is not much character development as everything does happen to quickly.
There were these random POV points that were meant to sure the situation of the crisis beyond the lens of the four primary POV characters. I didn’t love or hate that aspect, and I definitely got what the authors were going for here, as to show the reader what is happening elsewhere. However, I felt a lot of them really were not that meaningful and even though most of them were fairly interesting to read about, it didn’t really contribute much to the overall story.
The characters were ok. For me, they weren’t brilliant, but nor were they poorly written. I certainly would have liked a bit more depth and maybe more personality, but that’s being a bit picky, considering it is a YA novel. At least Kelton acknowledged himself that he’s a massive creep. The sort of romance that doesn’t really start until the very end felt sort of forced, especially with some of the events in the novel that led up to it and the things between the two characters.
So overall, I enjoyed it, though there were some things I had issues with. I haven’t read anything by Jarrod Shusterman, but I have read the Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman, which I really enjoyed, and didn’t find Dry to be as good as that. 6.5/10
September 30, 2019
4,5 Estrellas. Primer libro que leo de Neal Schusterman, firmado aquí con su hijo, y puedo decir que, en general, me ha gustado mucho. Me lo he bebido en dos días (chiste malo, lo sé). Se trata de una distopia del subgénero cli-fi, que hasta que me apunté al Popsugar Reading Challenge de este año no sabía ni que existía.
El argumento es muy interesante y alarmantemente posible, pues habla sobre la restricción y el desabastecimiento de agua, un bien que los que vivimos en países desarrollados creemos infinito y malgastamos sin medida. ¿Cómo afronta gente que lo tiene todo y lo da todo por supuesto una crisis medioambiental de esta magnitud, de la que no son conscientes hasta que un día el agua deja de salir del grifo y es prácticamente imposible encontrar algo para beber? ¿Como de fácil es dejar de lado las reglas de una sociedad civilizada, olvidarnos de nuestros principios morales y entregarnos a la barbarie, cuando lo que está en juego es nuestra supervivencia y la de nuestros seres queridos? Sed se convierte en una carrera contrarreloj por sobrevivir, repleta de angustia y tensión y que no duda en plantear grandes temas de la literatura, como la eterna lucha entre el bien y el mal, si el hombre es un lobo para el hombre y la perdida de la inocencia propia de la infancia. No es aleatorio que, al principio de esta trepidante novela, una de las protagonistas esté realizando un trabajo sobre El señor de las moscas, pues esta historia le debe mucho a la obra maestra de William Golding.
#Popsugar 2019 Reto 41: Un libro de cli-fi (Ciencia ficción climática)
El argumento es muy interesante y alarmantemente posible, pues habla sobre la restricción y el desabastecimiento de agua, un bien que los que vivimos en países desarrollados creemos infinito y malgastamos sin medida. ¿Cómo afronta gente que lo tiene todo y lo da todo por supuesto una crisis medioambiental de esta magnitud, de la que no son conscientes hasta que un día el agua deja de salir del grifo y es prácticamente imposible encontrar algo para beber? ¿Como de fácil es dejar de lado las reglas de una sociedad civilizada, olvidarnos de nuestros principios morales y entregarnos a la barbarie, cuando lo que está en juego es nuestra supervivencia y la de nuestros seres queridos? Sed se convierte en una carrera contrarreloj por sobrevivir, repleta de angustia y tensión y que no duda en plantear grandes temas de la literatura, como la eterna lucha entre el bien y el mal, si el hombre es un lobo para el hombre y la perdida de la inocencia propia de la infancia. No es aleatorio que, al principio de esta trepidante novela, una de las protagonistas esté realizando un trabajo sobre El señor de las moscas, pues esta historia le debe mucho a la obra maestra de William Golding.
#Popsugar 2019 Reto 41: Un libro de cli-fi (Ciencia ficción climática)
April 13, 2019
Most of us take for granted that when we turn on the faucet, the water will flow. However, what happens if it doesn't? What if it's not just one sink in your house but all of them? What if it's not just your house, but every house in your neighbourhood and for miles/kilometers around? What if there's nowhere to go to get that which is most vital to life? With increasing climate change comes increasing drought. Usually water conservation laws are put into effect, limiting non-necessary water usage, and the water continues to flow from the tap -- until it doesn't.
In Dry, Neal Shusterman examines what this would be like. What people would do, the ensuing panic, the break down of civilization. How people would fight for every last drop of water, even stealing it from someone else's child in order to give to their own. He tells the story through the eyes of a group of teenagers. Of course, they are equipped with the knowledge and drive to survive and think of things adults don't. It's an OK story though one that is at times unbelievable and with a too-easy ending.
I love Shusterman's dystopia series Scythe and Unwind but this book was too "teenage-ish" for my taste. I can do without the teen drama and hint of romance. People who love YA fiction will no doubt enjoy this more than I did. It's well-written and fast-paced. Just not my thing.
April 27, 2021
Desde que leí Desconexión, Neal Shusterman me pareció una carta segura en el género Young Adult, ya que con una prosa sencilla y directa, hace que el lector sienta en carne propia la urgencia de las situaciones que viven los personajes. Y este libro no es la excepción, aunque se queda un poco por debajo.
Nos presenta una realidad angustiante: la falta de agua, una cuestión que no queda tan lejos de los posibles futuros de nuestro planeta. Sin embargo, yo no la considero una distopía; nuestros personajes principales viven en un tranquilo barrio residencial al sur de California donde sí, ya hay problemas de abastecimiento, pero un día sucede lo inimaginable: al abrir el grifo, ya no sale ni una gota de agua en toda la zona y, al parecer, no se vislumbra una solución inmediata.
Aparte de lo anterior, el argumento no ofrece muchas sorpresas más; cinco adolescentes se ven unidos por distintas circunstancias y con el único objetivo de sobrevivir en una ciudad que, de un día para otro, sufre una deshumanización casi completa, obligándolos a tomar decisiones que supondrán la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte.
El libro presenta una muy buena evolución de sus personajes, pero definitivamente lo mejor logrado son las sensaciones que los autores consiguen generar en el lector; angustia, impotencia, desesperación. Y sed. La sed es un personaje más de la novela, aunque no es el verdadero villano.
Lamentablemente, a mi parecer, el final no está a la altura del resto del libro. Me quedo con la impresión que a pesar de las terribles experiencias, los autores quisieron darle un cierre tipo happy ending que, la verdad, no le pega.
Nos presenta una realidad angustiante: la falta de agua, una cuestión que no queda tan lejos de los posibles futuros de nuestro planeta. Sin embargo, yo no la considero una distopía; nuestros personajes principales viven en un tranquilo barrio residencial al sur de California donde sí, ya hay problemas de abastecimiento, pero un día sucede lo inimaginable: al abrir el grifo, ya no sale ni una gota de agua en toda la zona y, al parecer, no se vislumbra una solución inmediata.
Aparte de lo anterior, el argumento no ofrece muchas sorpresas más; cinco adolescentes se ven unidos por distintas circunstancias y con el único objetivo de sobrevivir en una ciudad que, de un día para otro, sufre una deshumanización casi completa, obligándolos a tomar decisiones que supondrán la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte.
El libro presenta una muy buena evolución de sus personajes, pero definitivamente lo mejor logrado son las sensaciones que los autores consiguen generar en el lector; angustia, impotencia, desesperación. Y sed. La sed es un personaje más de la novela, aunque no es el verdadero villano.
Lamentablemente, a mi parecer, el final no está a la altura del resto del libro. Me quedo con la impresión que a pesar de las terribles experiencias, los autores quisieron darle un cierre tipo happy ending que, la verdad, no le pega.
July 1, 2020
Distopía no tan distopía.
Estoy completamente segura de que la gente se comportaría tal y como se comporta en este libro. Esa parte es muy realista. El final ya es otra cosa.
No es lo mejor del autor, aunque sigue teniendo su toque.
Estoy completamente segura de que la gente se comportaría tal y como se comporta en este libro. Esa parte es muy realista. El final ya es otra cosa.
No es lo mejor del autor, aunque sigue teniendo su toque.
August 12, 2022
Desde que comencé a leer a Neal shusterman, sus historias y personajes no me han decepcionado.
La historia es bastante simple pero muy realista, todo comienza con una crisis de suministro, lo cual es sinónimo de sequía; y es desde este punto en donde el autor despliega su narración para mostrarnos lo que es capaz de llegar a hacer el ser humano cuando se ve enfrentado a esta situación desesperada, en la cual pende de un hilo la vida y la muerte. Nuestro imaginario puede ser amplio, pero el escritor deja muy bien plasmado todas las variables a las que podemos llegar realizar o afrontar, tales como: robar, saquear, golpear, mentir, llegando incluso a matar, entre varios otros.
La narración va de la mano de nuestros protagonistas; al comienzo nos muestra la visión por parte de Alissa, de dieciséis años, quien junto a su hermano Garret y su familia deben afrontar el corte total del suministro de agua; junto a ella vamos observando como comienza a cambiar el ambiente, tanto en un supermercado (todo se descontrola para poder acceder a las ultimas botellas de agua) como con los vecinos quienes empiezan a indagar que vecino podría haber sido previsor en esto para poder conseguir la tan sagrada agua.
En paralelo conocemos Kelton, vecino de Alissa, quien es considerado como extraño debido a su comportamiento; lo cual tiene que ver básicamente por su padre, quien ha sido siempre provisorio contemplando “algún fin del mundo”, por lo que incluso la familia posee un refugio, en un lugar apartado, lleno de provisiones. Sin embargo, Kelton en muy diferente a su padre, quien no tolera regalar sus cosas a los demás, sino que enseñarles como lograr obtener sus propios alimentos; en cambio nuestro protagonista siempre quiere ayudar a los demás, en especial, a su vecina, Alissa, de quien secretamente ha estado enamorado desde hace años.
De forma posterior, se introducen en la historia Jacqui y Henry. Respecto a la primera, se podría deducir que es una sobreviviente, siempre se encuentra en movimiento, escapando de su familia, sin tener un destino a donde llegar. Por otro lado, encontramos a Henry, mentiroso compulsivo, que se aprovecha de las necesidades de la gente, vendiendo botellas de agua a un precio irracional; siempre esta tratando de sacar provecho de las situaciones a las cuales se ve expuesto.
Todos ellos confluyen en la búsqueda de tan preciado recurso como lo es el agua, en donde deberán hacer cualquier cosa con tan de sobrevivir y encontrar un “lugar seguro” con suficiente agua para lograr mantenerse con vida durante el periodo que dure esta crisis y, sobre todo, antes de caer en la desesperación o “zombies del agua” como denominan a las personas que están en los últimos segundos de morir por deshidratación.
En resumen, Sed es una distopia juvenil futurista, pero que toca un tema real que incluso podría llegar a suceder; en donde el autor nos exhibe la peor faceta del ser humano cuando se ve enfrentado a una situación dramática y desesperada. La historia esta muy bien escrita, del modo que nos tiene acostumbrado el escritor, lo único negativo es el final, que si bien estuvo correcto me falto más información respecto al futuro de nuestros protagonistas y, por qué no, también un poco de romance.
La historia es bastante simple pero muy realista, todo comienza con una crisis de suministro, lo cual es sinónimo de sequía; y es desde este punto en donde el autor despliega su narración para mostrarnos lo que es capaz de llegar a hacer el ser humano cuando se ve enfrentado a esta situación desesperada, en la cual pende de un hilo la vida y la muerte. Nuestro imaginario puede ser amplio, pero el escritor deja muy bien plasmado todas las variables a las que podemos llegar realizar o afrontar, tales como: robar, saquear, golpear, mentir, llegando incluso a matar, entre varios otros.
La narración va de la mano de nuestros protagonistas; al comienzo nos muestra la visión por parte de Alissa, de dieciséis años, quien junto a su hermano Garret y su familia deben afrontar el corte total del suministro de agua; junto a ella vamos observando como comienza a cambiar el ambiente, tanto en un supermercado (todo se descontrola para poder acceder a las ultimas botellas de agua) como con los vecinos quienes empiezan a indagar que vecino podría haber sido previsor en esto para poder conseguir la tan sagrada agua.
En paralelo conocemos Kelton, vecino de Alissa, quien es considerado como extraño debido a su comportamiento; lo cual tiene que ver básicamente por su padre, quien ha sido siempre provisorio contemplando “algún fin del mundo”, por lo que incluso la familia posee un refugio, en un lugar apartado, lleno de provisiones. Sin embargo, Kelton en muy diferente a su padre, quien no tolera regalar sus cosas a los demás, sino que enseñarles como lograr obtener sus propios alimentos; en cambio nuestro protagonista siempre quiere ayudar a los demás, en especial, a su vecina, Alissa, de quien secretamente ha estado enamorado desde hace años.
De forma posterior, se introducen en la historia Jacqui y Henry. Respecto a la primera, se podría deducir que es una sobreviviente, siempre se encuentra en movimiento, escapando de su familia, sin tener un destino a donde llegar. Por otro lado, encontramos a Henry, mentiroso compulsivo, que se aprovecha de las necesidades de la gente, vendiendo botellas de agua a un precio irracional; siempre esta tratando de sacar provecho de las situaciones a las cuales se ve expuesto.
Todos ellos confluyen en la búsqueda de tan preciado recurso como lo es el agua, en donde deberán hacer cualquier cosa con tan de sobrevivir y encontrar un “lugar seguro” con suficiente agua para lograr mantenerse con vida durante el periodo que dure esta crisis y, sobre todo, antes de caer en la desesperación o “zombies del agua” como denominan a las personas que están en los últimos segundos de morir por deshidratación.
En resumen, Sed es una distopia juvenil futurista, pero que toca un tema real que incluso podría llegar a suceder; en donde el autor nos exhibe la peor faceta del ser humano cuando se ve enfrentado a una situación dramática y desesperada. La historia esta muy bien escrita, del modo que nos tiene acostumbrado el escritor, lo único negativo es el final, que si bien estuvo correcto me falto más información respecto al futuro de nuestros protagonistas y, por qué no, también un poco de romance.
October 11, 2018
I had so much fun reading 📖 this book. I love 💕 Shusterman books and this one was a winner too. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the friendship and how they worked together to survive. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!!
November 9, 2018
I’ve never been so thirsty while reading a book.
June 6, 2018
A book about the harrowing effects of climate change? Fuck yeah. Finally, even modern Young Adult literature is calling attention to the most important environmental issue of our decade that won't just affect one certain group of people. Oh no, climate change is coming for us all. Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman's all-too-real portrayal of the amplified effects of climate change is horrifying and upsetting. You will feel mad. You will feel sad. But most importantly you will feel so helpless while reading this book because you realize how much we as humans have no control of a situation that we are responsible for causing. You will also come to realize how some forces, such as water, have power over humans.
While reading this book, I realized how small I was in this whole wide world. You want to believe that when things go downhill, the government will be looking out for you. But yet, how can they help you when they can't even help themselves. The authors expose this startling fact in the most brutal way possible- by following the POV of a group of teens who must fend for themselves in a world without water.
I went into this book with the knowledge of Neal Shusterman's world-building mastery. He can create worlds with such a complex and well-developed foundation, and it feels like the world actually exists. In this case, he didn't really create a new world but it's like he created a new reality in our world. A reality in which our environment has been devastated by climate change and the resources that we thought would be around forever have been completely exhausted. It is a world in which we cannot comprehend right now, but one that is in our near future if we continue on this path. He has essentially predicted the near future in such great detail and precision, thinking of every single thing. If I were you, the world-building alone is a reason to pick up this book.
What I loved most about this book was how it was written. It is written in multiple points of views, however, these characters' perspectives are often interrupted with what the authors call 'snapshots'. These snapshots, ranging from about a page to two pages in length, were glimpses into the lives of other people who were also being affected by the Tap-Out. I think this was an ingenious idea on the authors' part because when you're writing a story like this that has such an incredible impact and call to action, it's important to illustrate the stories and testimonies of as many people as you can.
Reading this book was like living through the apocalypse, which is something I hope and pray I'll never have to experience in this lifetime. Dry has to be one of the most terrifying books I've ever read. None of the horror books I've read compare to the amount of dread you'll feel while reading this book (and I've read multiple Stephen King books .-.). For me personally, the idea of living without water, a basic necessity, scares me more than any zombie apocalypse.
This title is very relevant to what's been happening around the world. Because of the subject matter and the authors' ability to tell this story, Dry will be one of the most memorable books you read this year. I implore you to read this not because I am an environmentalist, and I strongly want to share my fear of climate change with you but because I think that this is what the world needs right now in order to make a change. Sometimes people need a scare to push them in the right direction. If you've read Scythe and enjoyed it, I am positive you will enjoy this one too. Please check out my page on Instagram (@thebooksbuzz) because I will be giving away a copy of this wonderful book!
While reading this book, I realized how small I was in this whole wide world. You want to believe that when things go downhill, the government will be looking out for you. But yet, how can they help you when they can't even help themselves. The authors expose this startling fact in the most brutal way possible- by following the POV of a group of teens who must fend for themselves in a world without water.
I went into this book with the knowledge of Neal Shusterman's world-building mastery. He can create worlds with such a complex and well-developed foundation, and it feels like the world actually exists. In this case, he didn't really create a new world but it's like he created a new reality in our world. A reality in which our environment has been devastated by climate change and the resources that we thought would be around forever have been completely exhausted. It is a world in which we cannot comprehend right now, but one that is in our near future if we continue on this path. He has essentially predicted the near future in such great detail and precision, thinking of every single thing. If I were you, the world-building alone is a reason to pick up this book.
What I loved most about this book was how it was written. It is written in multiple points of views, however, these characters' perspectives are often interrupted with what the authors call 'snapshots'. These snapshots, ranging from about a page to two pages in length, were glimpses into the lives of other people who were also being affected by the Tap-Out. I think this was an ingenious idea on the authors' part because when you're writing a story like this that has such an incredible impact and call to action, it's important to illustrate the stories and testimonies of as many people as you can.
Reading this book was like living through the apocalypse, which is something I hope and pray I'll never have to experience in this lifetime. Dry has to be one of the most terrifying books I've ever read. None of the horror books I've read compare to the amount of dread you'll feel while reading this book (and I've read multiple Stephen King books .-.). For me personally, the idea of living without water, a basic necessity, scares me more than any zombie apocalypse.
This title is very relevant to what's been happening around the world. Because of the subject matter and the authors' ability to tell this story, Dry will be one of the most memorable books you read this year. I implore you to read this not because I am an environmentalist, and I strongly want to share my fear of climate change with you but because I think that this is what the world needs right now in order to make a change. Sometimes people need a scare to push them in the right direction. If you've read Scythe and enjoyed it, I am positive you will enjoy this one too. Please check out my page on Instagram (@thebooksbuzz) because I will be giving away a copy of this wonderful book!
July 9, 2019
See ya, I’m just popping to the shop to stockpile water obsessively! Or I could just stand outside and drink the rain, since water is always falling from the sky here😂
I’m exhausted after reading this! And thirsty! I had a drink in my hand the whole time reading this book, almost to reassure myself?!
I cannot wait to see this on the screen, I’m so excited that it will be a film, as the whole time reading, I kept imagining and visualising it as either a film or a tv show! It was such a great plot, and had so much tension! Elements really reminded me of the early days of ‘The Walking Dead,’ which I loved.
Gosh the journey these characters had to endure to survive was incredible, and yet so realistic? It could all so easily happen! I was gripped reading this, there were so many horrifying moments, but equally just as many moments of hope and optimism. Dry really captivated the human psyche well I think. The need to survive, to do whatever needs to be done.
Every time this group of characters thought they were getting a chance of getting water, and then were inevitably thwarted, I knew it was coming, but yelled in frustration along with them! I saw a lot of things coming, but still appreciated them all the same. I felt the panic and desperation in each and every character.
There were many POVs, which had good and bad points. On the plus side, it showed us the devastation of the tap out on a wider scale, from many different people’s perspective. However, I do think having so many POVs stopped the main characters from being fully fleshed out. I would have liked to get to know them better?
The characters were never really physically described, which I kinda liked? I guess it means that everyone reading can imagine themselves as part of this motley crew. I wonder what the cast of the film will be like?! I did like the characters, Alyssa, her younger brother Garrett, the amazing Jacque, Kelton and Henry.
So many plus points, it was very entertaining and very enjoyable, in a apocalyptic way!
I’m exhausted after reading this! And thirsty! I had a drink in my hand the whole time reading this book, almost to reassure myself?!
I cannot wait to see this on the screen, I’m so excited that it will be a film, as the whole time reading, I kept imagining and visualising it as either a film or a tv show! It was such a great plot, and had so much tension! Elements really reminded me of the early days of ‘The Walking Dead,’ which I loved.
Gosh the journey these characters had to endure to survive was incredible, and yet so realistic? It could all so easily happen! I was gripped reading this, there were so many horrifying moments, but equally just as many moments of hope and optimism. Dry really captivated the human psyche well I think. The need to survive, to do whatever needs to be done.
Every time this group of characters thought they were getting a chance of getting water, and then were inevitably thwarted, I knew it was coming, but yelled in frustration along with them! I saw a lot of things coming, but still appreciated them all the same. I felt the panic and desperation in each and every character.
There were many POVs, which had good and bad points. On the plus side, it showed us the devastation of the tap out on a wider scale, from many different people’s perspective. However, I do think having so many POVs stopped the main characters from being fully fleshed out. I would have liked to get to know them better?
The characters were never really physically described, which I kinda liked? I guess it means that everyone reading can imagine themselves as part of this motley crew. I wonder what the cast of the film will be like?! I did like the characters, Alyssa, her younger brother Garrett, the amazing Jacque, Kelton and Henry.
So many plus points, it was very entertaining and very enjoyable, in a apocalyptic way!
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