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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Dry, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Human Cost of Climate Change
Justice
Urban vs. Rural
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Falk heads over to Luke’s old farm to meet Gerry. Falk finds Barb first—she’s crying in the main bedroom, looking at a Father’s Day card that Billy made that has some spelling errors. She wants to find some things to bring back to Charlotte. In the bedroom, Falk thinks about his own bedroom back in Melbourne. He remembers how his last relationship was a few years ago, and the woman left him in part because he was a “closed book.”
This is the first mention of Falk’s previous relationship with a woman from Melbourne. In many ways, Falk is more of a “closed book” than ever, remaining mysterious not just to the characters around him but also to the novel’s audience, who can’t even be certain that Falk is innocent of Ellie’s murder.
Themes
Falk and Barb go to the kitchen make tea, and Barb thanks Falk for his help in the investigation. Barb is flustered because Karen has some overdue library books. Falk offers to take them back for her. Barb says it’s a shame Falk never met Karen because he would’ve liked her. They both go outside, and Falk imagines what life would’ve been like if he’d stayed in Kiewarra. They go to see Gerry in the barn.
Like many mystery novels, The Dry sometimes hides important information in plain sight. In this case, Karen’s library books may seem like a casual aside, but the novel’s emphasis on them suggests that they may be more important than they initially seem. The books also reflect Karen’s studious personality.
Themes
Gerry asks Falk if he wants anything from Luke’s things, and Falk replies that he’s fine. They talk about how their neighbor Deacon has caused problems for them for 30 years, although they did used to feel bad for Ellie when she lived there. When she was 11, after her mom, left, Ellie looked very thin, but when Barb mentioned it to Deacon, he just told her to go away. Barb and Gerry believe that at one point, Deacon was dumping chemicals onto their property.
This whole passage presents Deacon in a negative light. Ellie’s light weight seems to suggest she had an eating disorder, possibly in combination with other mental health issues. Even as an adult, however, Falk doesn’t seem to fully pick up on the context that Barb is suggesting: that Deacon was abusing Ellie.
Themes
Barb leaves Falk and Gerry alone in the barn. Falk tells Gerry that there’s a possibility Luke didn’t kill Karen and Billy, but he can’t be certain either way. He also doesn’t know if Ellie’s death has any connection to the murders. Gerry says there’s something he’s been meaning to tell Falk ever since he arrived in town. It turns out, Gerry isn’t the only one who knows that Luke and Falk’s alibi was a lie.
As the story progresses, Gerry reveals that he’s not nearly as threatening as he seemed at the beginning of the story; however, his promise to reveal yet more new information shows that like just about everyone in Kiewarra, he has his secrets. The events surrounding the current murder all seem to circle back to Ellie’s murder, perhaps suggesting that the town’s wounds from that first event never really healed.
Themes
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As he was driving around on the day of Ellie’s murder, Gerry saw Luke riding his bicycle quickly away from the river. He remembers that Luke was wearing nice clothes and had wet hair. Gerry stopped at an intersection, then he saw a white ute follow Luke. Gerry doesn’t know who was driving the ute, but the person must have seen Luke and known that his alibi was false when the murder story came out later.
By noting that Luke had wet hair, Gerry seems to be implying that Luke was the one who drowned Ellie. Luke’s nice clothes could suggest that he met her on a date and something went wrong. More significantly, however, they seem to provide clear evidence that Luke was not out fishing with Falk.
Themes
