Who knew water was such a big deal?

Memory of Water is a very interesting novel about how climate change can affect our futures. In Noria’s life, water is very scarce and all the people have quotas that determine how much water each family gets. Since Noria’s father is a tea master, he knows the location of a secret spring which provides fresh water for their tea ceremonies. “A tea master has a special bond with water and death.” I find this quote interesting; how does a tea master have a special bond with death? During one of the tea ceremonies, Commander Taro seemed to be suspicious of where the water was coming from. This will lead to a potential conflict later in the novel.

When Noria was first taken to see the secret spring she “dipped her fingers in the water and felt its strength.” Water is a big deal. I cannot imagine not being able to get as much water as I want when I want it. “Water has no beginning and no end, and the tea master’s movement as he prepares the tea doesn’t have them either. The flow merely grows and fades and changes, like water in the iron cauldron, like life.” This is a really poetic quote; making tea has a flow and this same flow can be compared to life. The flow of water grows and fades and changes; this is like life which also grows, changes, and eventually will fade with death.

I really liked it when Noria said “It seemed to make my parents happy and it didn’t make me miserable, and those were the things that mattered at the time.” I can totally relate to this quote; sometimes it feels like I just have to make my parents happy. I always feel like I have to make them proud and live out their dreams for me; this is what Noria is feeling. Its all about making your parents happy and if you are not miserable in the end, then it’s a win-win situation. Eventually, Noria’s mother leaves for a job in another place; this breaks their family apart in a time when they should be sticking together. When Noria’s mother says “I’m thinking of you”, Noria responds with “Not as much as we are thinking about you.” This exemplifies just how much Noria misses her mother.

I am really interested to see where this novel is going to go. I wonder if Commander Taro will figure out that Noria’s family has a secret spring and if he does find out what is he going to do about it? I wonder if the world they are living in could be a world that we potentially could be living in. Hopefully our world never becomes like this one.