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.

The novel provides a great deal of description of Galveston before the storm, highlighting its massive structures and densely packed houses. Seth describes it as “the largest architectural display I’d ever seen” (11). He makes note of “Palacelike homes draped in vines” that “sat as much as three stories high atop raised basements” (12). As they tour the city, Seth notices “the bright, octagon-shaped dancing pavilion tiered like a massive wedding cake” and the Pagoda Company bathhouses, whose “sloping roofs of striped canvas made them look more like two giant circus tents,” as well as “the three-story Olympia” (23, 24, 25), all of which depict Galveston as a large, well-established city.

Galveston stands on the coast as a symbol of human progress and prosperity, and its residents are so confident in it that they can’t imagine anything bringing the great city down.