A wonderfully atmospheric speculative novel set in a world in which the icecaps have melted and extreme storms and heatwaves rage unpredictably across New York City. Into this devastation, the focus is on a small group of survivors and their quest to find a home.

13 year-old Nonie and her family are part of a community living on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, Amen to the residents. Climate catastrophe has raised the water level across the city, drowning many residents, driving many more out. There’s no power and no communication so nobody knows what’s going on in the rest of the country. A mosquito borne disease has wiped out most of the population remaining. When a hypercane strikes, Nonie, her older sister Bix, their father, and a friend, Keller, take a birchbark canoe from the collection and head up the river towards their Aunt’s farm.

The novel switches between this odyssey and flashbacks to the family’s time in Amen, with just a few scant memories of The Time As It Was before the first great flood. The focus is always on Nonie and the Amen community and the ruinous happenings outside are only lightly sketched in: what Amen doesn’t know, we don’t know. The description of the community is exquisite: it was close-knit and collaborative but also closed, and was not without its tragedies. The voyage up the Hudson is filled with tension, as the foursome face some dangers, both natural and, more chillingly, man-made. The few settlements they come across are ruled by fear and selfishness but they also meet with kindness and assistance.

Nonie’s matter of fact perspective gives the view of a child of this catastrophic era. Though her father and Keller can remember times like ours, Nonie and, to a lesser extent, Bix have known nothing but scraping by and low level persistent dread. Though Nonie can feel shifts in the weather and has a sense for other dangers, she is also a bit of a Cassandra, leading to a casually explosive and disastrous encounter which shapes the remainder of the journey.

As with Station Eleven, which this novel has been compared to, I found the writing immersive and mood- changing. While maybe not as wholly realized as that novel, this is still one of the best novels I’ve read this year and, if you like your spec fic to be all too frighteningly realistic and minutely person-focused, then I highly recommend it and hope you don’t get a tsunami warning in the middle of it.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

In a time where natural disasters have amplified, the ocean level has risen almost 60 meters and storms called hypercanes plague the earth, two sisters flee their flooded apartment in NYC to the museum where their Mom had worked. Their goal had been a farm up north owned by her grandparents their Mom’s health has prevented it. They build a community there with other families without power and internet and threats are not just the weather - they are disease and other people too. Nonie has a sixth sense to the water and can forecast the storms and how serious they will be and longs to be out on the sea as a scientist. Every day is all about survival and learning to be adaptive and flexible to the changing world. The story was completely intriguing to me with their fight to survive but also the bond between those that we make family.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC! #netgalley #allthewaterintheworld

Nonie can feel when a storm is coming, but she doesn’t feel the storm coming that rips the roof off of the American Museim of Natural History - where her family has been living since the city was submerged in water. With the roof gone, her family leaves the museum to find a new home.

This book was written very stream of consciousness- like we were experiencing every thought Nonie thought. At times, I found it hard to follow. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

The description calls this book a literary thriller. It felt less thriller and more dystopian.

This did not work for me at all. I kept losing the thread and the pacing went from slow to incredibly slow.
I have been enjoying the cli-fi genre and various interpretations of what the world will be like in the near future. This possible future reminded me of Light Pirate, and I so wanted to enjoy this book as much. Somehow the characters and story arc feel very forced and don’t develop throughout the book. The dialogue is bit stilted and there is no real plot to move the story along. When a story is as doomsday as this one is, I really need a reason to keep turning pages to see if something good / interesting / different will happen. In this case, it never comes.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall is a first person-POV speculative climate fiction that asks what could happen if all the ice caps melted and the entire world started drowning. Nonie, her father, mother, and older sister, Bix, and family friend Keller are trying to survive at the American Museum of Natural History aka Amen, but the water is still rising and they need to move on. As they make their way out, they encounter other survivors, some of whom do not believe in the same principles Nonie’s family does.

The structure of this book is more of a mix of genres that makes it feel like it belongs on a lot of different shelves. The chapter length and pacing are akin to a lot of thrillers but it’s so deeply introspective and the main villain is the world around them, The World As It Is. Because of the climate fiction elements, it feels like it would be right at home on the speculative fiction or sci-fi shelf even if it’s honed in on one specific element. We also jump back a lot between what is happening in the present day in the story and Nonie’s childhood and all of the people she’s lost over the years and how it impacts her and her relationship with Bix.

I love stories about the end of the world, especially when it’s more of a natural element instead of something like war or nuclear fallout. I am not the most knowledgeable about the hard science of what could happen if we don’t start caring more about the Earth and how our actions are harming it, but this felt realistic to me with the knowledge I do have. The idea of the water levels rising to the point that people keep having to get to higher and higher ground and are taking refuge in museums and skyscrapers is not a stretch for me given the rising water levels now.

My favorite chapters were the ones from Nonie’s POV when she was a child rather than the ones when she is a teen or adult. The teen/adult chapters present the more-thriller moments and the more fast-paced scenes, but it’s really the character work of a child who was born after the world ended who has a sister who was born before and has no choice but to live in this reality that was the most interesting to me. Nonie is the only person she knows who never experienced the World As It Was and she asks the people around her about the world before, she plays animal games, she keeps a logbook to document what she experiences, and she’s very innocent to so much of what her family would be aware of but in a different way than we might expect.

I would recommend this to fans of climate fiction that feels realistic and those who love speculative fiction that has strong character work

This climate-themed post-apocalyptic story is a deep and thought-provoking tale of loss, preservation, and resilience. I am conflicted about this book because there are such beautiful and touching moments, with language and concepts that really hit home. [One of my favorites: “Thinking that the world has picked only you for tragedy is looking for mustard seeds. There is the weather and there is death. You can’t control them, and you can’t fool yourself that your name is the only one they know. They have everyone’s names in their mouths.”]

But there are times where the choices confuse and disrupt the flow of the story. The plot is fairly simple and unfurls slowly, allowing time for contemplation and reflection, but also making it all too easy to set the book down. Overall it did not really resonate with me [aside from a few moments like the one noted above].

I hope this novel finds its audience, because it truly is a beautiful, meditative story that deserves exposure and acclaim. I think many people will love it – it just wasn’t for me at this time. Still, a heart-felt thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book [set for publication on January 7, 2025].

I saw a review that said, "this is probably for people who prefer a slow reflective read", and it's me. Hi. I'm that reader it's me. I see why this is getting Station Eleven comps because while that was a dystopian novel about the value of art, this is one about the value of preservation. What do you keep when the world ends. What do you want people to remember of the world before? Beautiful and yes, slow paced, but in a way that just felt so right for the prose

4.5 stars

This was a reflection on what happens after a catastrophic, world changing event and how society comes out the other side. We follow Nonie and her sister Bix for most of the story as they are forced to adapt to the new normal.

The overall pacing of this book was fairly slow. It was hard to get into at first but seemed to pickup a bit around the 60-65% mark. I enjoyed the book from this point on up until the end where the writer used oddly placed John Prine lyrics from "Christmas in Prison" during a wedding scene.

The book was ok overall but is probably best suited for someone that prefers a slow, reflective read as there are a lot of flashback chapters.

Slow pace

This author can definitely write and the premise was quite interesting but the pace was too slow for too long. I appreciated the characters and their growth throughout the story but the flashbacks meant to further flesh out the story were somewhat random and distracting. The story eventually picks up and did entertain me. I really enjoy the dystopian genre and this was pretty good but be prepared for a slow burn.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview All The Water in the World.
This is a book that’s told in a very different way.
Science fiction and apocalyptic it is a story of how survival is determined by how you can live in a society that has no control or limited choices. Preservation is the key to history and survival.
Different and unique. Good book.

The glaciers have melted and the city is underwater. A few families are living in the American Museum of Natural History and have a garden in Central Park. A huge storm comes and they must evacuate. This novel is a story of their adventures to find a safe place to land.

This was an emotional read. I truly cannot imagine a post-apocalyptic world, especially where parts are under water. It's terrifying. This book gave some hope in the beginning. It's a fantastic read.

For fans who enjoyed The Light Pirate, All the Water in the World is about a family and how they survive and try to protect America’s history while living on top of a museum in a post apocalyptic world devastated by severe hurricanes.

ATWITW was more of an exploration of global warming and climate change and less plot driven than i was hoping for. While this subject really sparked my interest, especially with how hurricanes played out in the US this year, i was a bit let down. The storyline got repetitive at times. The novel is told before the hurricanes and during the hurricanes. The storyline living with the hurricanes is suspenseful and keeps you on edge. The author does an excellent job in that sense. I can definitely see people who enjoyed The Lighy Pirate and Station Eleven enjoying this! I was fortunate enough to receive an Ebook and audio ARC of this book. The narrator was just okay, i went back and forth between the two to experience this story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

All the Water in the World tells the story of Nonie, her older sister, her parents, and their friends, who stayed behind in an almost deserted and flooded New York City. They are living in a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History and trying to keep what's inside the museum dry and safe. All was going as well as possible until a massive storm called a hypercane hit...

I struggled a bit during the first part of the book, as the style of writing and sentence structure felt scattered to me. I think Nonie's flashbacks also contributed to my struggle to completely immerse myself in the story.

I stayed with it, though, and I'm glad I did. That's not to say that the book suddenly became filled with rainbows and sunshine, but the story became easier for me to follow and I found myself truly caring about what was happening to the characters.

The end of the book is quite intriguing.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress for providing this book for review consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. All the Water in the World has an expected publication date of January 7, 2025.

#ClimateChange #Dystopia #Environment

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I had high hopes for this novel, because, for whatever reason, dystopian fiction appeals to me more than it has in times past. However, despite the beautiful writing, it fell flat for me. The pacing was off, I think, and seemed to repeat itself a bit. I also didn't think the plot felt fresh, which is particularly unfortunate. The writing is lovely, so I remain willing to read a future book by this author.

Yeesh. Not to be a rating-downer but this is straight up DEPRESSING. Way too dark, zero levity.
Cool premise - a realistic apocalyptic scenario - global warming causes the ice bergs to melt and the water rises so pretty much everything is under water.
Very dramatic and thrilling - but could use some gallows humor to break it up. The lead is incredibly smart, serious and poetic - doesn’t speak like a young woman (I missed her age, but know she is meant to be young). I skimmed through parts and finished it out of principle. The ending was good but did not cancel out the overall bad vibes feeling of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story about a likely future with rising oceans, extreme weather patterns, mass immigration due to loss of land mass, flooding, and disease. Lack of food and medicine is a real problem. The small group of characters, who had been taking shelter in the museum, were all relatable, and the story flowed well, with much sorrow, as they had to evacuate New York City in an ancient birch bark canoe. I liked that it ended on a note of hope.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC to read and review.

Really enjoyed this book! Unique plot and strong characters! I could certainly see a sequel developing…

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this story is well stated, but unfortunately the slow beginning (from my POV) did not sufficiently engage me to continue the rest of the narrative. I got as far as dry land, but was not able to continue from there. Others may prefer the style of storytelling but, sadly, I not among them. Sorry.

very interesting literaary thriller with a strong focus on climate change. intensely done and some very interesting characters. would recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall is a recommended climate science fiction dystopian novel set in a flooded world.

When a massive hurricane (hypercane) slams into New York City and breaches the flood walls, 13-year-old Nonie her older sister Bix, their father Allan, and another adult man, Keller, are the only survivors from their demolished settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The group uses a birchbark canoe from the museum's collections and head through the flooded city to the Hudson. Their goal is to paddle north to a family owned farm in Tyringham, Mass. As they fight for survival and look for a safe place, they carry with them a notebook that holds their records of the lost collections from the museum.

This slow paced dystopian tale of a flooded world unfolds through the point-of-view of Nonie. Chapters follow the present day and past events. Breaking up the present day struggles with tales from the past slowed down the novel and my interest in it. It does focus on building community and preserving knowledge, which will resonate with most readers.

Honestly, the writing, the narrator, and the plot make this novel suitable for a YA reader and I'm rating it based on a reader around age 14+. Adult readers of science fiction and post-apocalyptic tales will be expecting a fast-paced, grittier story with much more realism, action, and depth. The plot has been seen before and none of the challenges they face are unexpected, but they also aren't as realistic, gruesome or formidable as one would expect. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.