Book review
Throat-scratchingly realistic dystopic vision of an all-too-possible ‘what if’…
I kept a water bottle to hand when reading this, and took more swigs from it than I needed, just to reassure myself I could.
This latest ‘what if’ apocalypse vision shows what happens on a fairly small scale when one state in America one day turns their taps on and nothing comes out… It’s a read-it-fast book, with multiple characters and a story you get caught up in instantly. After all, who wouldn’t be affected by water running out?
In their suburban home, Alyssa’s family don’t feel panic straightaway when the water stops flowing. They’ll pick some up at the store later… but of course, when things start to feel more serious, and her parents go out for supplies but fail to return, she and her younger brother must step up and face the situation. Next door, part of a survivalist family, Kelton knows they are equipped to outmanoeuvre the ‘sheep’, though his feelings for Alyssa bring conflicting feelings about his loyalties.
As the crisis deepens, we watch the world descend into chaos and anarchy, with the resulting brutalities and inhumanities slowly creeping in. It feels insidious and genuinely frightening, as of course – we would all be put in similar moral quandaries if this happened in our neighbourhoods.
While sometimes the characters do behave in ways you can’t quite believe, the story itself, the psychological aspects of the crisis, the building tension and drama, it makes for an absorbing YA novel.
I do love Shusterman, his Scythe and Unwind series both some of my recent favourites, and this standalone a testament to the power of a good idea. I read in mounting horror, though I knew just how people were likely to behave, at the mounting atrocities.
It almost feels like a ‘survival guide’ at times, with case studies of how not to cope and strategies for getting through a water shortage – I just hope I never need to refer back to it!
A very interesting selection of protagonists, with some developed character arcs that I felt were believable. A good exciting denouement, and a proper conclusion where you find out what happens – a nice change from cliffhangers and sequel-teasers.
A lot of violence and emotional wrangling, so I’d recommend this to age 14+, and hope adults take a peep too.
With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.
- Goodreads rating – 4.03
- REVIEW – Katy Kelly