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A review by whimsicallyreading
Dry by Jarrod Shusterman, Neal Shusterman
3.0
Before we get into it, let me tell you something: Subconsciously, I always read such a disturbing realistic dystopian genre of a book on the first month of the year. Last year, I read the spine-tingling apocalyptic novel by José Saramago, titled [b:Blindness|40495148|Blindness (Blindness, #1)|José Saramago|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg|3213039] and it was truly an unforgettable experience since the book simply explores something so mundane yet essential: the loss of sight. This year, I picked up [b:Dry|38355098|Dry|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525441549l/38355098._SY75_.jpg|60021264], a book with the same eerie premise: What if we lose water? What if we go on a long drought?
While [b:Blindness|40495148|Blindness (Blindness, #1)|José Saramago|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg|3213039] sets into a magical-realistic field with the sudden and unexplained loss of sight, [b:Dry|38355098|Dry|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525441549l/38355098._SY75_.jpg|60021264] is far closer to the current reality we are living; drought around the world, lasting issues of clean water. The first scene happening once the drought is announced also brings us back to the early days of the current COVID-19 pandemic: people going ruckus and panic buying things out of the nearest stores. Shustermans nailed it with the setting as it is utterly relevant and convincing.
However, despite the enervating graphic reading experience, there are also a few points I felt awkward about...First, the story mostly consists of traveling there and there that it can feel a bit monotonous at some points, which is kind of unfortunate because the story has so much potential. Second, the characters lack development. I find none of them likable, as the chemistry going on between them also feels a bit off. The book itself provides a number of POVs to show how the drought affects different scenes while highlighting none, making it hard for me to get attached to any character. Lastly, the ending. The ending appears to be underwhelming compared to the heavy hankering premise throughout the book and there is no greater consequence or loss either.
To sum it up, [b:Dry|38355098|Dry|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525441549l/38355098._SY75_.jpg|60021264] excels at answering one of the frightening what-ifs in our lives ( What if we woke up one day to the water no longer coming out of the tap? ) by painting such a believable setting of the story and showing different perspectives from anywhere or anyone. Shustermans had so much potential with the eerie idea up on their sleeves, but it does not make this less of an enjoyable read.
While [b:Blindness|40495148|Blindness (Blindness, #1)|José Saramago|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528481068l/40495148._SY75_.jpg|3213039] sets into a magical-realistic field with the sudden and unexplained loss of sight, [b:Dry|38355098|Dry|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525441549l/38355098._SY75_.jpg|60021264] is far closer to the current reality we are living; drought around the world, lasting issues of clean water. The first scene happening once the drought is announced also brings us back to the early days of the current COVID-19 pandemic: people going ruckus and panic buying things out of the nearest stores. Shustermans nailed it with the setting as it is utterly relevant and convincing.
However, despite the enervating graphic reading experience, there are also a few points I felt awkward about...First, the story mostly consists of traveling there and there that it can feel a bit monotonous at some points, which is kind of unfortunate because the story has so much potential. Second, the characters lack development. I find none of them likable, as the chemistry going on between them also feels a bit off. The book itself provides a number of POVs to show how the drought affects different scenes while highlighting none, making it hard for me to get attached to any character. Lastly, the ending. The ending appears to be underwhelming compared to the heavy hankering premise throughout the book and there is no greater consequence or loss either.
To sum it up, [b:Dry|38355098|Dry|Neal Shusterman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525441549l/38355098._SY75_.jpg|60021264] excels at answering one of the frightening what-ifs in our lives ( What if we woke up one day to the water no longer coming out of the tap? ) by painting such a believable setting of the story and showing different perspectives from anywhere or anyone. Shustermans had so much potential with the eerie idea up on their sleeves, but it does not make this less of an enjoyable read.