Dark Water Rising

Content Warning: The novel refers to Black people as “colored,” but this guide will use the term Black to follow the example set by Black scholars, writers, and journalists. The novel contains graphic descriptions of the aftermath of a natural disaster, including loss of life. It references ecological disasters and their devastating effects. The book references and depicts sexism and intense racism and oppression toward Black and Latinx people.

Seth Braeden is the novel’s 17-year-old protagonist. He is the oldest of four children and has two younger brothers, Matt and Lucas, as well as a four-year-old sister named Kate. Seth is a perceptive, caring, and compassionate person who thinks of others. Throughout the course of the novel, he “comes of age,” or transitions from the position of child to the position of adult. This transition is marked by external indicators, such as an increase in responsibility and a shift of childhood duties from Seth to his younger brother, Matt, but it is also marked by an internal element: Seth’s faith in himself and his ability to be clear and firm with his father about what he wants for his future. Seth is a dynamic and