Memory of Water Literary Elements

Speculative Fiction

In a future dystopian world in which water has become exceptionally scarce.

The novel is told from the perspective of its protagonist, Noria, a young woman who must contend with the fallout from the climate emergency (and the lack of water).

The novel is solemn, scientific, violent, serene, and dystopian.

Noria is the protagonist of the novel; Sanja is the antagonist of the novel.

The major conflict of the novel revolves around Noria's struggle to balance her role as a tea master and her desire to remain physically safe.

The climax of the novel occurs when Noria goes through the ceremony to become a tea master, following in the footsteps of her father.

Noria's choice to become a tea master rather than flee for her safety is foreshadowed early on in the novel.

The sheer difficulty of Noria (and her father's) job is initially understated in the novel.

There are a number of allusions to other dystopian literature and film, the geography and history of Europe (particularly the Nordic countries), science, religion, and Greek and Roman mythology.

Itäranta uses intense and violent imagery to reinforce the sheer danger that Noria is in.

Without the tea master (who know where the stores of water are) in a town, the residents of the town would die of thirst. A single point of failure is paradoxical; if something happened to the tea master countless people would die.

Noria's journey and the journey of other tea masters is paralleled with each other.

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Water is personified and given human characteristics in the novel.