“‘Nathan! I have to get going!’ his father yelled. ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll get my bags and bring them into the mobile home,’ Nathan said to himself, unsure whether or not he had seen a large footprint at all.”

The mysterious footprint is the first sign of the supernatural that Nathan encounters and thus the first indication that the novel belongs to the genre of magical realism. Nathan’s father prevents him from investigating the water monster’s footprint by reminding him of his responsibilities in and ties to the real world. As the protagonist of a magical realism novel, Nathan must juggle his supernatural quest along with real-world problems and concerns. This proves to be a difficult balance to maintain, and Nathan’s family members repeatedly complicate and delay his magical adventures as the novel continues.

“‘Sháh!’ Nali raised her voice, scaring him. His body tensed up. Her unexpected yell reminded Nathan of slamming doors and long nights of silent solitude in his old room playing video games. ‘Pull that out of the trash. Water is not trash,’ she said.”

Nathan’s reaction to Nali’s scolding illuminates both characters as well as two of the novel’s major themes. Connecting to the theme of Family as a Source of Both Love and Pain, Nathan’s tension shows that he still experiences loneliness and pain because of his parents’ fighting and divorce. For her part, Nali’s “unexpected yell” emphasizes The Importance of Respecting Nature because she is usually patient and soft-spoken. She knows how precious water is because she has endured its scarcity in a way that her grandson has not.