California's drought issues are ongoing and worsening - until the day of the Tap-Out. The day the water is completely shut off, stores are stripped of water and thirst drives people to unthinkable choices.
Teen Alyssa, her younger brother Garrett and her teenaged prepper neighbor Kelton are at the heart of the narrative. Two others - Jacquie and Henry become part of the story as well.
The first thing I thought to myself was this was not a far fetched premise at all. The Shusterman's imagining of what might transpire if the water disappeared was completely believable - and frightening real. Anarchy.
Each of the five characters is given a voice through their own chapters and outlooks. Each player has a different take on how to survive this catastrophe. What choices will they make? As a group? As individuals? What would you do?
The decision to record this audiobook with an ensemble cast of five narrators was brilliant. Each voice completely matched the character they were reading. Alyssa, (Jenni Barber) is the voice of reason, more disposed to consider society than the individual. But as things go from bad to worse, she is forced to make some terrible decisions. Garrett, (Kivlighan De Montebello) is young, frightened and innocent of what this shortage will mean. Kelton, (Noah Galvin) I quite liked - pragmatic on the outside, paddling hard on the inside. Henry, (Michael Crouch) oh Henry. As my Gran used to say - he's a piece of work and his inner dialogue and actions made me so angry. And then there's Jacqui (Candice Thaxton). She's tough, smart and a survivor. I have to say, she ended up being my favourite character. Each voice was clear, easy to understand and absolutely matched the character they were playing. Listen to an excerpt of Dry.
A few times, I said to myself - 'why don't you....?' But then I reminded myself that these were teens.
Bottom line - loved it! Honestly, I wanted more. But as the credits rolled, I thought hey, this would make a great movie. Turns out Paramount Pictures thought the same thing. And I also thought - I better pick up a few cases of water - you know - just to have on hand......
