Review of “The Water Wars” by Cameron Stracher

Dystopias and post-apocalyptic books naturally appeal to me, being one of those glass-half-empty kinds of people. And speaking of glass-half empty! There’s hardly a drop to be had in any glass in this not-too-far-fetched-seeming story about a future in which drinkable water is the only form of wealth that matters.

Fifteen-year-old Vera and her brother, seventeen-year-old Will, residents of the seceded republic of “Illinowa,” live in a world in which the snow masses and ice packs are gone, the aquifers and surface lakes dried up, forests denuded, wetlands drained, and “drought and death” are decimating the continents. Desalination is too expensive for most countries, and in any event, when conducted on a large-scale, poisons the oceans with toxic chemicals and sludge. Wars over water make up international “relations.” Although Vera had learned in school about the so-called butterfly effect (i.e., how tiny variations can affect giant systems) what she came to conclude was a little different:

“The truth was that butterflies could not disrupt an entire ecosystem simply by beating their wings. It took willful neglect and deliberate blindness, the refusal to see the obvious even as the land grew toxic before our eyes.”

When Kai, a friend of Vera’s and Will’s, is kidnapped – presumably because of his father’s water-drilling abilities – Vera and Will set out to rescue him. [Yes, they are naïve and idiotic, but there’s no reason to believe their parents have prepared them to be otherwise.] And even though at this point the book turns somewhat into Illinowa Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, it’s still quite entertaining. It’s true the characters are a bit one-dimensional, but in a likable way; the episodes are a bit unrealistic and cartoonish, but in a fun “Pirates of the Caribbean” way. And the author never compromises on the seriousness of the water crisis, which exists even now in inchoate form, and has enough potential realism to add a frightening background to a story otherwise occasionally lacking in gravitas.

Drought in Iraq

Discussion: If you do a bit of digging into foreign affairs, you will find that the water crisis is real and growing, especially among countries in the Middle East. Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, for example, have long considered water access – not oil – as the key to power in the region, contesting rights to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for years. In the several wars fought between Israel and the Arab states, getting water to troops has played a key role in military planning. The World Bank reports that 80 countries now have water shortages and 40 percent of the world’s people have no access to clean water or sanitation. Cholera outbreaks from dirty water have been endemic in the undeveloped world. And in fact, water quality is deteriorating even in many areas of the developing world as population increases and salinity caused by industrial farming and over-extraction rises. About 95 percent of the world’s cities still dump raw sewage into their waters. The United Nations expects 1.8 billion people to live in regions with absolute water scarcity by 2025.

Drought in Andhra Pradesh, India

So I thought the basis for the post-apocalyptic scenario was solid, and well-depicted.

As for the characters, interestingly in a book for young adults, the teens aren’t fleshed out very well. Vera and Will reminded me a bit of the roles played by then child actors Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney when they would approach every problem with the optimistic and peppy response: “Hey, I know! Let’s put on a show!” On the other hand, the main adult protagonist, Ulysses, is drawn very well indeed.

Evaluation: Vera, Will, and Kai might be a bit too simplistic for today’s cynical teens, but I think the apocalyptic scenario, and also the positive relationships with adults make this book worth reading.

Rating: 3.5/5

Published by Sourcebooks Fire, 2011