📚🌊 ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD by Eiren Caffall 🌊📚
Genre: General Fiction/Science Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Pub Date: January 7, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated are solely my own.

Synopsis:
In the not-so-distant future, the glaciers have melted, much of the world is experiencing several climate issues, and NYC and other coastal cities are almost completely under water. Nonie, her older sister, Bix, and her parents are living on a rooftop settlement inside the American Mueseum of Natural History. They, along with other scientists, are working to preserve collections of history and science, while living off hunting and foraging.

When a super-sized hypercane hits, Nonie and a small group are forced to leave AMNH via small canoe and look for another place to settle and live. Along the way, they encounter other survivors, some of whom have hardened and will stop at nothing to gather supplies from other travelers.

Opinion:
I am always down for a good semi-dystopian story, but this one left a little to be desired. I think I was hoping for more action, and this was just too slow-paced for my liking. The idea was great, but I just didn't find myself fully invested in the characters, and FYI, a pack of dogs (who have returned to their more natural state), gets killed, which is always a no-no for me. I do think it was an interesting concept, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me personally.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall takes place in the future where all the climate-change warnings were ignored and the effects of that broke down an already stressed and over-taxed society.

With rising temperatures came the "Mosquito Borne" - a fever caused by the influx of year round warmth and mosquitoes causing the death of more people than wars. The rising temps also led to famine and water shortages. Then normal storms such as hurricanes became hypercanes, wiping out complete coastal areas allowing the ever rising ocean to eat up land. Because of these factors, people sought shelter high up, on building tops.

The story surrounds a small group of people sheltering on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (pronounced "Amen" in the audio book). The people include the main character Nonie, her sister and her parents and some scientists/researchers. The group wants to record and save what they can filling log books out for the future.

The story is told from Nonie's perspective which was powerful and unique. She has a strong connection to the water and can predict when storms are approaching - a useful trait to have in a world surrounded by water! The story also alternates from the past to the present, allowing readers to understand what the group has endured leading up to where the story starts.

The book has an obvious serious tone and one that makes you feel the stress and exhaustion of the characters. Numerous times I found myself picturing scenes from The Walking Dead while I was reading this... without the zombies, of course! But similar to the TV show, families are formed by the people you learn to trust and rely on; people do things they never would have done in a civilized world to get the resources and supplies they need for themselves or their group; and sadly, true family members and group members die during the journey to find higher group.

This was a four star read for me and one I think many, many people will love! It is scheduled to publish January 7th so if this sounds right up your alley, I recommend pre-ordering a copy now!

🌊🌪Good, important theme, but slow🤔

3.5-4 stars
I had a dilemma rating this read. The overarching message about the collapse of civilization as we know it due to extreme weather and sea rise, and what the resulting world could become, really got me thinking. The world Nonie inhabits in a water- and disease-ravaged future is dark, survivalist, and seems almost devoid of hope. A situation devoutly to be avoided, yet all too possible. I liked the way the story is told through young NYC resident Nonie and her family, friends and individuals she meets along the way when disastrous weather finally pushes them out of New York City on a quest for a haven in rural Upstate New York. The young adolescent's grief, confusion and fear are potent reminders that family and friendships, no matter how strong, can be fragile as well. Nonie's thoughts of young Mano and her mother are especially moving as she copes with her swiftly-changing world and the destruction all around her.

But several things drew the story down for me. All the talk of cataloging museum exhibits, sea life species and scientific details just hit me as too much. And, while the move back and forth from Nonie's present to her earlier life at AMEN, the community they created on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, was fine in the first part of the book, I did not appreciate the present to past shifts as much as the trek through New York gained momentum and got more exciting. I felt the flashbacks, to some degree, held the story back at this point.

Am I glad I read this work? Yes, because this scenario or something like it needs to be contemplated, not brushed aside. I just wish the telling had been tighter and more focused on the action.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Wow.

The story was riddled with despair, disaster, disease, and pain but there was hope threaded through all of it. I would like to see a prequel - in the beginning Nonie and her people were living in what used to be NYC, in what used to be the Museum of Natural History. They took care to guard the remaining artifacts so that future generations would have this record and knowledge about the past. After listening, I read that this story takes in part from the stories of curators working to protect their history during war. Except in the book, it’s a war against nature, humanity, and ourselves.

Nonie was wise for her years and I liked her as a narrator of this novel. Her perspective was clear and cut through the layers to see what really is. No surprise that she has the ability to sense water and understand water activity. Without giving too much away, the ending was beautiful and by far my favorite part of the novel.

I liked the narrator because she gave a sharper sense of who the characters really were by how she voiced them. I liked the author’s style, dreamlike yet anchored in the darkest of realities. This is the type of work that will stick with me long after reading. I’ll go back to bits and pieces of the story and puzzle over them in my head. This book evoked feelings in me. Sometimes you read a book and it’s a good distraction. Sometimes you read a book and it blows your mind. This is a book that blows your mind.

I tried to get into this book but it unfortunately kept losing :( I thought the concept sounded promising but I just wasn’t hooked & couldn’t finish it.

Told from the point of view of a young girl, Nonie, this book is set in the aftermath of extreme climate change. The glaciers have melted, and the water levels have risen to flood out cities like New York. Nonie and her family live on the roof of the New York Natural history Museum, trying to save the exhibits from the floods.
When another flood breaks through the city flood barriers, Nonie and her family escape to the north, meeting other communities of survivors along the way, and running into danger at several turns.

The book made me think of all the things that we take for granted in our modern world, as Nonie and her family struggle to find food, clean drinking water, medicines etc. They fear water, as it contains hidden dangers, from creatures to branches and submerged buildings that will tear at their canoe, to bacteria and viruses that could prove deadly.

I must say that the book felt long and drawn out in the middle - I realized I wanted the survivors to get to where they needed to be, when in fact the journey was the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book by Eiren Caffall, with the audiobook gorgeously narrated by Eunice Wong. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 stars!

This book is set in the near future, when climate change has devastated the world. Nonie and her older sister, their parents and fellow researchers have taken refuge on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. They hunt and grow food in Central Park and only scavage the exhibits if necessary. When a hypercane (a huge superstorm) breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape on the Hudson River, determined to find a new world to honor what they’ve saved.

I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with dystopian/apocalyptic stories, but the writing in this book, and the audiobook narration, made it perfection. Told from Nonie’s point of view in the present, along with flashbacks letting the reader know what it was like before, this is an adventure story, a cautionary tale, and will make you think about what’s important to keep. While the subject matter is fightening in its potential reality, the book is filled with hope, with community and people trying to help. The writing was so beautiful, almost poetic, with lines to make you think, such as, “You never know in the darkness, who’s holding the light;” and “A building is just a body through which you live a life. What mattered was the people we found and lost.” I listened to the audiobook while reading, and the narrator’s voice was so haunting that it added layers to the story. Highly recommended!

The premise was so intriguing--I wanted to love this! Unfortunately I just could not connect with the writing of the characters. Too serious, and too distant. Sadly this one was a miss for me.

One of the best dystopian type climate change books I have read. Scary but oh so real. A must read, really.

This one is heartbreaking and horrifying, and it was so well done. It reminded me of Station Eleven, but it also has shades of Parable of the Sower in how it tackles survival and resilience.

Nonie is such a sympathetic main character, and her voice really carried the story for me. The flashbacks were seamless and added depth—they never felt like interruptions but instead enriched what was happening in the present.

I also appreciated how the book didn’t sugarcoat anything. The dangers of a flooded world and the breakdown of authority are portrayed in a way that feels terrifyingly plausible. At the same time, the group’s dedication to preserving knowledge and finding a purpose beyond survival kept the story from being too bleak.

This is one of the best cli-fi books I’ve read in a while. It’s not just about the big, apocalyptic changes but also the small, human moments of connection and perseverance. It’s definitely a heavy read, but there’s just enough hope to make it feel worth it. A solid five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press!

"Greed and hope aren't opposites. Greed and hope are twins grabbing for the same thing, one in fear and one in faith." Keep in mind that this is written before the final publication of the book but that quote grabbed ahold of me and pulled me along in a sense of wonder.

Nonie is born into a world that is radically changed by climate changed. Born in an apartment and then moved as a small girl to grow up in the American Museum of Natural History, or on its roof. The reader meet Nonie as a young teenager, when she and her family have to flee a hypercane, the supercharged hurricane the breaches the city's flood walls. As they travel north toward the farm where her mother grew up, Nonie reflects on events in her and there is a strong sense of adventure.

A strong dystopian novel that will engage readers of all types, All the Water in the World is a must read for everyone. It is not a YA novel but could still be added to the library of a high school. It is a must for public libraries and home collections.

This book will haunt me for years to come. I have a book hangover and feel bad for whatever I read after this. I finished the entire book in one day, unable to stop.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the DRC! All opinions are my own!

Nonie, her sister Bix and their parents have been living on the roof of the Natural History Museum in what was once known as New York City. They’re holed up there with some other survivors and have been cataloguing and storing the museums holdings as best they can, hoping for a better future world where people will once again be able to look upon and study these relics of the past. Nonie has a special ability. She’s like a human barometer and can sense approaching storms. This time around though her ability to feel the coming danger has failed her and what remains of the city is walloped by a Supercane. The floodgates have finally failed and the once great city is inundated with water. Water that isn’t safe, water that kills. With only enough time to grab their go bags and an old Native American canoe, Nonie, Bix, their father and family friend Keller barely escape and are headed up the Hudson in hopes of reaching the family farm in the upstate.
In this debut dystopian novel we’re presented with a terrible future. A future filled with danger. Danger from super storms, danger from starvation and disease, danger from our fellow humans. You’re in a constant battle for survival. It’s a scary, scary world. The scariest part for me is that I can totally picture it coming true. It’s an exciting read with danger lurking around every bend of the river for the little group of intrepid travelers. They meet some bad actors on their journey, but it gives one hope for the future to find there are still people out there trying to do the right thing. 4.5 stars

This story takes place is set in New York City in a future that has been flooded by the glaciers melting. There is disease, chaos and lot of fighting just to stay alive. The focus is on relationships and family and we get to see two sisters fighting to stay together and stay alive. The thing that really drew me in is how real the sister's feel and how you see them grow and face their fears. I did struggle with the toggling back and forth between the present and the past and felt that if this wasn't as confusing I would have rated this a five star book.

Mother told me it was slow at first, the way the world changed. You could forget about it. People talked like you could fix it. from All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

Science warns us that in the future climate change will cause oceans to rise and flood coastal cities, including New York City. In All the Water in the World, Eiren Caffall imagines what this world will be like. Her descriptions of apocalyptic storms and flood waters filled with the floating remnants of The World Before are chilling. This future world is filled with packs of vicious wild dogs and people dying of what were once easily preventable diseases and injuries. Trust comes hard in desperate times.

The story centers on Nonie, who with her family is among a few survivors in Central City who have taken refuge in their workplace, the Museum of Natural History. They appropriate traditions of the Native Americans to survive. When a superstorm destroys the museum and their stores of foods and medicines, they remove a birch bark canoe from its display and paddle up the Hudson River, hoping to reach a family farm and safety.

The journey is filled with danger, especially from the desperate Lost men. They suffer from death and injury and disease. They pass landmarks including the Palisades, the Cloisters, and West Point. They stop at Frederic Church’s fantasy home of Olana. They are forced to ask aid from a community ruled by a powerful and ruthless leader, and then must escape.

There is survival,made possible by “hope thrown hard at the darkness,” and because of a few helpers along the way.

It’s a page turner of a thrill ride. And a dead serious warning of what may come.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

As important as the subject matter of this book is, I was apprehensive to read it as I knew it would make me absolutely spiral about climate change.

Yes, this book heavily focuses on what happens to a found family living on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History after New York City is flooded and (mostly) deserted, so it's very climate-focused. But, it's also focused on the family, their interactions, and their struggle to survive after another flood hits the city and they must leave the museum.

Again, yes, it did cause me to slightly spiral thinking about our world's future (especially post-election...), but the characters and their stories allowed me to stick with it and not just focus on the truth behind this plot.

Also, again, very important subject matter, so an all-around recommendation.

This one moved too slow for me. I kept going back and giving it a try but ultimately, I put it down and DNF,

Maybe it's not fair that I kept thinking of Margaret Atwood who does this genre perfectly.

I found the writing hard to follow, unsure what was happening and why. Perhaps this is just not my genre. I don't read much dystopian , speculative fiction but when I do, it is done extremely well.

This dystopian tale of a future where rising oceans have flooded the Eastern coast, and only the top floors of skyscrapers can be seen, starts very, very slowly. It is told in the style of a journal or diary, written by the youngest daughter of a family who takes refuge in a museum in the city. Living on the only the top floor and the roof top, they and other survivors staying there are dealt a vicious blow when a hypercane (evidently a really, really bad hurricane) hits their little rooftop encampment. The ones who live through it evacuate in a canoe to head up the Hudson River to a farm the mother's family owns, which is in a higher elevation and therefore, safe. Why didn't they go there in the first place, when all the flooding started? This, and many other questions, are why I could only give this 3 stars.

The journal entries are written by the thirteen year old daughter. It would have been a much more interesting read if it had been narrated by the older, eighteen year old daughter who grows from a scared girl to a brave fighter. The first third of the book was so slow (and also, repetitive) that I almost put this down and walked away. I jumped to the end to see if things got any better, and there were so many new names/characters that I decided to pick it back up to find out where all these interesting sounding folks came from. A chapter or so later, things finally got going, so much so that I was easily able to read to the end. It was still monotonous in places, and there were some tragic events that, because the narrator wasn't there, we only get a condensed version of what happened. I did not enjoy the constantly going back and forth between the distant past and the less distant past. Yes, it is written as if we are reading a journal of what happened several years ago, and it talks about events that happened several years before that. At the end we are finally in the present time, and while the ending ties up most of the loose ends, it does leave us with a smidge of, "Oh, I wonder what happens to her now?"

The writing is good. The story just needed some judicious editing to keep the reader from dosing off. And it could use some joy. This is, for the most part, a pretty depressing read.

I'll just say it: this book is considerably out of my comfort zone, so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Rarely do I read sci-fi or dystopian novels, but now and then I like to give them a go, especially when it is about nature or genetic topics.

Unfortunately, this book didn't speak to me. Even though I was curious about this new reality of our own world where massive storms haven taken control of everything and cities are under water. I did empathise with our protagonist, Nonie, and her dynamics with her family struggling to survive in such a dangerous world. The writing is interesting, too. But pretty much that was everything I enjoyed about this book.
I didn't connect with the narrative or care for what was going on.
I cannot pinpoint what I think is wrong with this book. I don't even think there is anything essentialy wrong or bad about it. I'm just not the right audience.
Sci-fi and dystopia stories are very hit or miss for me. Sadly, this one was more of a miss.

However, I do recommend this book to any sci-fi readers are out there who enjoy plots envolving nature, climate change, and, possibly, realistic scenarios to our own reality.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press , for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A post-apocalyptic world about two sisters living in NYC on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History after ALL the glaciers have melted, leaving the world underwater. Due the weathers unpredictability, they are forced to seek refuge inland to find resources. What they encounter along the way is rife in danger, exposing them to the elements that could ultimately take their life.

Caffall is a masterful storyteller of building out today's world, comparing before and after. While it started a bit slow, by the middle it finds its story. The girls experience danger, lost loved ones, new found family and a solace for living.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
There is no dearth of clifi in the world now, and I've read quite a bit, but I think this one is my favorite so far. It's heartbreaking but just a smidgen of hopeful also. Loved the two sisters and their relationship and I like how the book did NOT softpedal the problems that the sea rise and breakdown of authority would have had. And loved how the main group's dedication to perhaps saving some science for future generations gave them a motive and a way to keep it together and keep going. I only had a couple of questions: how did the member from the ship travel easily to and from the area when it was so clearly taking your life into your hands to go anywhere? and also---sanitation? I could see how hard the group worked on the many many details of survival but surely the toilets weren't working in the museum? I read a clifi a few years ago in New York City and one of their worst problems was waste management in large buildings when no utilities are working. It's a weird thing to be curious about but I always am!

Very good book. Be ready to cry and be horrified and end with a little hope.