2.75 rounded up

While I can see the similarities to Station Eleven as noted in the description, I think the main character’s supposed age throws that off. Nonie is a thirteen year old girl who has been caught in an apocalyptic world from a very early age. Yet, she doesn’t sound like a teenager. I had to suspend a lot of disbelief about what a teenage girl would usually be like, especially since she had a sister a few years older with her. The situation would have made both children grow up incredibly quickly, but I think there are just some things that are hardwired into being adolescents that did not come across in these characters. I could also see if it was written as memory, shaping the child’s view from an adult’s perspective, but based on the last chapter in the book, I don’t think that’s the case. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book and would recommend it to fans of the comparable novel, but it’s not something I would put in everyone’s hands. I would have liked to see more from the time before or at least a better understanding of how The World As It Is got to be that way.

This book is told from the perspective of Nonie, a young girl born after the glaciers melted and the seas rose, the World As It Is, as she calls it. She's only ever heard stories of the World As It Was. She lives with her father, sister and a small community of scientists on the roof of New York's Natural History Museum, refusing to leave without saving some of the history and artifacts preserved there. Nonie has an interesting connection to water and can feel when storms are coming, but the hypercane hit with no warning destroying their home, knocking out the flood gates holding back the ocean, forcing them to escape the city in a small canoe with only four survivors. Along their way to discover a new place they can call home, they encounter communities both helpful and hostile, ever stronger storms and natural disaster, and the struggle to survive with little to no food or water.
I loved reading the story from this young girl's unique perspective, as someone who didn't know anything different. She's lost so many people she cared about and the chapters jump back and forth between the past others told her about, her life growing up in the Museum, and trying to survive after they lost their home. The story starts off a little slow to give some background, but once I got into it I was fascinated. The beautiful and terrifying cover of a city underwater was what drew me in, but the story inside was even better!

Eiran Caffall's All the Water in the World is yes, speculative cli-fi. But it's also a coming-of-age story as our 13yo narrator Norrie deals with so much grief and hope and resiliency. The looming ominousness of all the Storms and their fallout is like a main character we rarely meet but when we do, there is significant trauma. Caffall's gorgeous prose wends through valleys and rivers of despair and fatigue without ever giving up. The setting too, deserves praise - the American Museum of Natural History and Hudson River in NYC define the story. Wonderful, wonderful book

This one sounded so interesting, but was ultimately too slow paced and didn't hold my attention. The writing style was excellent, but this one just wasn't my favorite.

This book is a masterpiece—a hauntingly accurate portrayal of what the global warming crisis could look like in the near future. The journey the characters embark on and the people they meet along the way showcase humanity at both its best and worst. It’s the kind of story that offers endless opportunities for academic analysis, but I’ll leave that to someone else.

What struck me most was how visceral and terrifying the story felt. It gave me nightmares because of how scarily plausible it all seemed. Coming from living in NYC, the vivid descriptions of landmarks submerged or transformed by climate change hit me hard. The creepiest part was when they were only ten feet below the span of the George Washington Bridge, which stands 212 feet above the water at its center. Imagining the water levels rising that high was deeply unsettling. 

The writing was undeniably poetic and beautiful, but it occasionally bordered on being too flowery. At times, it was hard to follow the plot because I couldn’t tell what was figurative and what was literal. That said, the prose effectively captured the inner dialogue of a young girl, pulling me into the trek from her perspective. The characters felt raw and real, and the events were so lifelike they forced the reader to fully grasp the gravity of the situation.

However, the portrayal of the girls as teenagers felt inconsistent; they often came across as much younger, which seemed at odds with the self-sufficiency their environment would necessitate. Additionally, Nonie’s seemingly magical ability to predict storms detracted from the story’s realism; grounding this trait in a pseudo-scientific explanation could have enhanced believability. The ending, while leaning towards a “happily ever after” resolution, felt slightly out of place given the heavy tone of the rest of the book, though it did provide a sense of closure after such an intense journey.

Despite these minor flaws, the book left a lasting impression on me. It made me confront my own fears about the global warming crisis and how it could shape the world in my lifetime. This is a story that lingers—equal parts terrifying and beautiful. Highly recommended.

I was really interested in the dystopian/post-apocalyptic/thriller aspects of this book, but ultimately it wasn't for me, due to the writing style and overall slow pace. In a flooded, post-glacier New York City, All the Water in the World follows Nonie and her family as they make a home on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, preserving artifacts while living off a wild Central Park. When a massive storm breaks through the city’s defenses, they’re forced to escape up the Hudson River, facing strange and sometimes dangerous new communities along the way. With a treasured book of records in tow, they fight to create a future that remembers the past.

The first 30%/35% are very slow and I wouldn't say that I got very interested in the story until about the 50% mark. It was definitely a thought-provoking book, and I did appreciate the glimpses into the post-apocalyptic world that we got. The writing style is fragmented, impressionistic, and immersive, and it uses short, abrupt sentences or sentence fragments to create a sense of immediacy and tension. This style of writing is often used in literary fiction or speculative thrillers, so if you like those types of books, it'll be no issue for you. I did really like the ending, I thought it was very fitting for the story.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author Eiren Caffall for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was really good. It took me a bit of time to sink into the writing style, but the plot was enough to pull me through until that happened. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

After seeing comparisons to Station Eleven, All the Water in the World was a must read. The story starts with family and friends living in the American Museum of Natural History in a dystopian/post-apocalyptic society. A massive flood forces them from their home and Nonie and her family must fight for survival.
This book is a coming of age story that deals with climate change, love, loss, perseverance. My favorite parts of the book were the chapters in the present time; the alternating back and forth between the past and present did not hold my attention. I wanted to love this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to.
If you enjoy literary post-apocalyptic and climate fiction, you might want to give this a go.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thanks for the ARC!

I have a thing for hopeful apocalyptic stories where even in the face of terrible things, people stick to each other and to creating things. This was a great read with a lovely protagonist and insights into climate change.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall is a powerful debut that brings into stark relief the devastating effects on humanity that can come from climate change. It feels eerily prescient and like a call to action amidst the current tragedy unfolding in Los Angeles. Literature helps shine a light on the lessons of our time when done well, and this is a prime example. May we learn those lessons.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

This was a great cli-fi story. I really loved the characters, and I was rooting for them throughout. I've heard comparisons to Station Eleven, and I would say Station Eleven-lite. While I adored the story and the characters, I wasn't wowed by the writing. I did think the author can tell a story, though.

Nonie and her family live on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, at a time when the glaciers have melted and the city is mostly deserted. There is no government, no electricity, and no contact with the outside world. When a massive hypercane floods everything, they must leave the museum they’ve been carefully protecting to find safety elsewhere. I liked the idea of the story but I found it a bit slow. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an ARC of the story.

I enjoyed the character development. The plot was much too slow for me, especially with such an anxiety provoking topic.

A word of warning: don't start this book if you've got something else to do! Because you won't be able to put it down, I guarantee you. It's an amazing post-Apocalyptic story about water water everywhere, and no place to go to get away from it. When the polar ice caps melt, what happens to all the water? According to this book, the oceans rise so much that cities are uninhabitable, society breaks down, and medicines are more valuable than anything else. You'll read about Norah and her desire to live, regardless of what else is happening--and believe me, stuff is happening on every page. So buckle in, you're in for the ride of your life. Don't miss this one!

This book was beautifully done and helps show the impact climate change will have on us. The focus on the history of humankind and not leaving the good things behind. This is a gorgeous story of survival, of moving forward, and of insuring to find humanity in the darkest of places.

Honestly, I really think everyone should read this book. And it should probably be adapted into a film.

When I first picked this up, I noticed it was very similar to another book I just read, 'Awake in the Floating City' by Susanna Kwan. Both revolve around flooding cities in the wake of climate change. In this case Nonie, and her family and friends take refuse after a giant flood on the top of the American Museum of Natural History. They grow their own food and only take items from the museum if absolutely necessary. This did remind me quite a bit of 'Station 11', as the family soon has to make a move to escape more dangerous flood waters. On their journey to high ground, they encounter many other families that have altered their way of life to survive amid global climate change. This was a very timely story for me as I read this during the height of the CA wildfires here in Los Angeles.

This is a story about the power of community, resilience, and the ability to adapt to change. As a first debut novel, this was a great effort, with good character development, and plot devices. You'll be rooting for the main characters as they try to reinvent their lives in the wake of impending disaster.

An amazing debut novel!! I absolutely loved this book! The idea of the world being flooded and weather being crazy is something that could maybe happen. This apocalyptic version of the world was so good! Nonie's POV was unique and a beautiful way to see The World As It Is. Highly recommend!

A slow start in a future world that turns into my biggest nightmare. A world overflowing with water. Science fiction? Yes. Horror? For me, absolutely.

All the Water in the World was a really good one! It follows a teen girl and her family (both biological and found) as they navigate the water apocalypse. I love an apocalypse, and let's be honest, the water one is the only kind I stand a chance in. I really loved the characters, oddly enough, especially the side characters. Honestly, I could have read entire books just about each of them. And the world building was great, too! It was exciting, and I was wholly invested throughout. And the atmosphere was absolutely on point. I felt the sogginess, you know?

Also, this would make an *amazing* show. Can we please get someone on this? A water world with a great cast of characters whose backstories are as provocative as their current stories, with unlimited world, plot, and character development potential is just... it's the apocalypse show I need. So if someone can do me a solid and grab the rights to this ASAP, I'd be forever grateful.

Bottom Line: This one was a huge hit, now can I please watch it somewhere, too?

*Thanks to Netglley and St. Martin’s for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Dystopian and post-apocalyptic books may seem like a strange genre to embrace as climate change ravages the planet, but I have found them to be more compelling because of their proximity to real crises. All the Water in the World makes Manhattan a storm-ravaged wasteland, home to few and dangerous to all. The tender relationships among the survivors of intense superstorms and the ensuing flooding were written with grace and incredible humanity. Encountering unique challenges and harnessing their individual gifts, the deeply bonded sisters at the heart of this story have especially stuck with me. On par with Emily St. John Mandel and Julia Phillips’ climate disaster novels, All the Water in the World is already a top book of 2025 for me.