A Long Walk To Water Book Review

The book “A Long Walk To Water,” was an interesting story of love and hope. There were many interesting points and facts. I would definitely read this novel again. There were, however, some negative aspects. A big problem is that this novel wasn’t very gripping. The author wrote it in a way that doesn’t draw you in to connect with the characters. Beyond that, this novel was fun and fascinating. 

     The main characters Nya and Salva were fairly well developed and displayed an impressive amount of hope. For example, Slava kept his hope even though he lost people close to him and everything in his life went wrong. The character Nya hoped very strongly that the men would find water even though everyone thought they wouldn’t. Both of these characters trusted when there was no hope and used their hope to inspire others.

     The major world issues this novel portrays are Lost Boys and Dirty Water. Both of these are very huge issues that don’t get enough attention. 11-year-old Nya has to walk all day back and forth to get water. The water she obtains is dirty but she has no choice. Salva is a wanderer (Lost Boy) and even though he becomes part of groups he always ends up alone. Many of the lost boys ended up alone and died. Many people in Nya’s village get sick because of the dirty water but it is all they have.

     The main theme in this novel is war. There were many smaller themes that all tie back to the theme of war. Salva’s life is hard and broken because of the war that has stripped everything away from him. Nya and her tribe always live in fear because of the war. They are all permanently scarred, hurt and broken.

     The novel was an informative playful novel that left me satisfied. The novel had a variety of scenes, some light and happy, and others, sad. The ending was very satisfying and complete.  I learned a lot about the issues talked about. The best part about this novel is the places it will take you. You are left feeling like you are in Sudan living amidst these challenging conditions. I would give this novel 7.5 out of 10 and recommend this book for anyone who wants to have their eyes opened to the problems going on around our world.