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Closer to Reality
Arid follows a desperate man and a dwindling band of survivors who struggle to stay alive in a scorched wasteland where water is controlled by the rich and greedy. Joshua is ambitious but deeply worn down. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I give fragments of my personality to a lot of my characters, and Joshua is no exception. All he really wanted was a normal life and to live in a world that hasn’t lost its humanity. I don’t think he will ever stop striving for that.
Beyond survival, what do you see Arid saying about greed and power?
That what happened in Arid is closer to reality than some may think.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
I’m not sure at this point. I’m currently working on a novel that is set to be published this spring, but it’s a totally different subject matter. I definitely haven’t ruled out the possibility of a sequel.
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It’s the distant future. The earth is scourged by nuclear warfare and natural resources have become scarce. The country is overtaken by wealthy moguls who dominate the water supply and sell it back to the public at ridiculous prices. After a drastic crime increase “indigents” who can’t afford water are stripped of their belongings and forced out of town by an army of brutes called Purifiers.
Life becomes harsh and ominous for the bright, ambitious Joshua Wyman and his group until they begin to occasionally receive food and other basic amenities after Joshua is deemed useful. When a blatant abuse of Purifier power during a routine visit leaves them reeling, Joshua and his friends reach their breaking point.
They devise a plan to steal the Purifiers’ vehicle during their next visit and escape their hell. Their journey across the uncharted wastelands filled with murderers and thieves proves to be far more than this civilized, benevolent crew bargained for. This tense, divided city will soon face its greatest fear-uprising!
Arid
Arid follows Joshua and a dwindling band of survivors who struggle to stay alive in a scorched wasteland where water is nearly gone, and hope feels just as scarce. The story opens with violence and fear and then tumbles into a tense rhythm of hunger, grief, and desperate choices. What begins as simple survival slowly grows into a harsh portrait of a world ruined by greed and war. The plot moves fast. The danger grows even faster. Every chapter places the characters on thinner ice, or really, thinner sand.
I was pulled into the raw emotion of the group. The writing surprised me with how blunt it was. It hits hard without dressing anything up, and it carries this grim honesty that kept me hooked. The world feels brutal and close. I caught myself clenching my jaw as the characters scraped by on scraps and bad luck. The book plays with fear and loyalty in a way that feels relatable. Even when the dialogue gets sharp or rough, it has this realness that fits people who have nothing left to lose.
I had mixed feelings about the pacing at times. Moments of danger slammed into moments of tenderness so fast that I felt a little off balance, but in a strange way, it worked. Life in a dying world would probably feel exactly like that. What I appreciated most was how the story leaned into relationships. Watching Joshua push himself past exhaustion made me feel for him in a deep way. The book never lets you forget how fragile everyone is. It never lets you relax, either. I liked that, even though it made me anxious along the way.
Arid feels like a story for readers who enjoy emotional survival tales that stay raw and gritty. It suits anyone who wants characters who fight with heart, make mistakes, and keep going even when the world seems determined to crush them. Arid reminded me a bit of The Road because both stories paint survival as a harsh grind, yet Arid feels more like watching a tight-knit group unravel, while The Road follows a quieter and more intimate struggle. If you like dystopian fiction that leans into both hope and heartbreak, this book will be a good fit.
Pages: 272 | ASIN : B09L6QF2XV
