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For contemporary fiction fans of Bastard Out of Carolina, Lullabies for Little Criminals, and Regretting You
Listen for Water is a snappy, bittersweet coming-of-age novel that tells the story of roles reversed-a daughter, Dakota, charged with keeping her mother, Ray, and their lives, right-side up. It's no easy task for a teen who wants to be anywhere but with Ray, who is hellbent on living as though she wasn't somebody's mother.
Their unhealthy parent-child relationship means Dakota has been burdened with age-inappropriate responsibility her whole life. She must scrounge for food as they face eviction from their low rent apartment, and she relies on whispered lessons from a mentor who is no longer in this world. What else do you do when mom has an addiction?
As Ray explores her talents (video gaming on an ancient Nintendo and penning lyrics to suspiciously familiar melodies), her impulsive behaviour sends the two of them on the ride of their lives, during which a tampering incident has deadly consequences. They fall off the Earth, lost to the forested mountains, and embark on an emotional and physical quest for survival.
Each faces the challenge in unexpected ways. Ray hits her stride and ensures they do not need to adapt to a life without water. Dakota learns about her birth father and the roots of a strange recurring dream. As they become a living wilderness survival guide, they discover surprising things about themselves, their past, and their mother-daughter relationship.
In the end, Ray is gifted with the opportunity for a do-over. And Dakota? Will she ever be able to forgive and forget that her mother was an addict?
Only time will tell.
