Within the crime fiction genre, authors bring light to various social issues. In Jane Harper’s novel ‘The Dry’, the mental impact and hardship of drought in rural Australia are explored, thus highlighting the prevailing social issue of climate change. Additionally, domestic violence is emphasised through the portrayal of Mal Deacon, an alcoholic with a violent tendency who is exposed as the cause of the unfortunate fate of his victim and daughter, Ellie. Grant sexually and physically abused Ellie throughout her teenage years, causing a myriad of impacts on her and her friend’s lives on top of the burden of living in drought. The author uses the inclusion of these social issues to allow readers to gain insight and inspire change. The isolated …show more content…
This emotional limit is being mentioned in reference to the difficulties of the drought for farmers, both financially and mentally. They could potentially suffer from depression and anxiety. Moreover, the death of Ellie Deacon was fundamental to the establishment of mental health issues among her friends, predominantly Aaron Falk. Throughout the book, Aaron unfolds the lifelong misery and isolation he has dealt with from not only the death of his former girlfriend Ellie but also being cast as the murderer. This can be pinned down to depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Gerry Hadler also explains that knowing that Aaron’s alibi was a lie has given him anxiety through the phrase, “For twenty years, I have lived in fear of that driver coming out of the woodwork. Knocking on the door of the police station and saying they saw Luke that day.” The use of emotive language captures the constant psychological impact and paranoia Gerry withheld by keeping this secret. Overall, the brief focus on mental health throughout the novel highlights the common mental illnesses seen in our society while offering the audience a deep insight into the events that caused