Somewhere in the Nevada desert, Rose Colter hears her best friend’s last voicemail message broadcasted on the radio. With her car broken down, she runs towards the broadcast tower into a town called Lotus Valley. The townspeople have been waiting for her; in fact, she was prophesied to arrive and in doing so would bring about a great flood within the next three days. Is Rose the cause of the flood and if so, why?
In Lotus Valley, Rose goes through a process of self-discovery, grief and hope with the help of a sheriff, the town’s almost #2 prophesier, and other people hoping the flood can be stopped. There’s a bit of magic, flashbacks and hallucinations that can be confusing, and supernatural occurrences, along with sage advice from those around Rose.
Rebecca Mahoney states that The Valley and the Flood is a story about trauma’s effect on memory and sense of self. She did a really good job on writing about trauma through metaphors and character flaws and developments. Piecing together Rose’s memories and trying to predict what would happen kept me interested in the story. It lingered in my mind long after finishing it, thinking about the importance of the portrayal of mental health issues in YA fiction. The Valley and the Flood came out during a difficult time of change and crisis for the world and sheds a light on how to view trauma and creates a sense of hope. This is definitely worth putting on your to-be-read list.