The Rain
“There was water everywhere, but not a drop you could use. Not for drinking, not for washing, not for anything.”
The Rain by Virginia Bergin is a gripping young adult survival novel that begins with an ordinary English teenager, Ruby Morris, as she navigates everyday concerns—crushes, parties, and texts—until a deadly ecological disaster upends her world. A meteor has brought with it a deadly pathogen that contaminates the world’s rainwater, turning a basic life necessity into a source of death. Suddenly, contact with a single drop of contaminated water proves fatal and within hours, society begins to collapse. Ruby is left alone to survive in this world as she navigates empty houses, abandoned cities, and personal loss on her way to London in the hopes of finding her father. With a fast-paced plot, dark humor, and flippant teenage tones, the novel explores how quickly everyday life can unravel when the systems we rely on—clean water, communication, infrastructure—are destroyed. Ruby’s story is deeply emotional, capturing both the heartbreak of loss and the stubborn hope and perseverance of youth. Throughout her journey, Ruby evolves from a self-absorbed teen to a resourceful protagonist who supports other disenfranchised teens, forced to confront the fragility of life in the face of ecological collapse.
The Rain is an invaluable resource for educators seeking to introduce climate literacy through narrative and is especially strong for adolescent readers who are seeking ways to interact with a changing world while asserting their personal independence. Though speculative, the novel’s central crisis, a contaminated hydrological cycle that results in water scarcity, acts as a striking metaphor for climate-related disruptions to water access, resource management, and environmental health risks. It prompts readers to consider the vital role water plays in sustaining life and how human systems are ill-equipped to handle ecological breakdowns. Ruby’s naive and sometimes unreliable narration mirrors the way young people process complex realities and social misinformation, opening space for classroom discussions about media literacy, trust in science, and crisis communication. The Rain’s relevance to climate pedagogy lies in its emotional accessibility: by following Ruby’s journey, readers are encouraged to think critically about ecological interdependence, resilience, and the ethical dilemmas of survival. Her growth as a character as she moves from consumer to caretaker parallels the development of ecological consciousness, inviting students to reflect on their own relationships with consumption, waste, and global systems.
Moreover, The Rain models how genre fiction can serve as a powerful vehicle for climate engagement by blending relatable voices with high-stakes scenarios. Teachers can use Ruby’s story to spark conversations about inequality in disaster response and the long-term consequences of ignoring environmental science. While the book does not explicitly mention climate change, it is rich in metaphorical and thematic connections, and educators can scaffold learning by pairing it with nonfiction texts about water scarcity, environmental justice, or pathogenic spread in a changing climate. Ruby’s journey ultimately becomes a lens through which students can explore climate resilience, responsibility, and hope—key components of climate literacy education.
©2025 ClimateLit (Afton Northrup)
See Also:
- More From Virginia Bergin:
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books, 2014
ISBN: 978-2-7470-5279-5
Pages: 401
Format: Novels
Topics: Environmental Health Risks, Environmental Justice, Interconnectedness, Resource Conservation, Water Crisis

