I had high hopes for this book, especially since it was compared to Station Eleven, a novel I loved. Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with the characters. The disjointed timeline made it hard to follow, and the ending felt inconsistent with the rest of the story.

Water, love, loss all this in a dystopian novel of climate change at its culmination. Eiren Caffall sets so many themes up in this novel for you to ask yourself what if. Great book of characters to follow and grow with as they face challenging situations time and time again.

This is a post climate change story, that mostly avoids getting political. This is a scary book to read. Nonie is still a child, and the world is broken into The World As it Was and The World as it Is. Climate disasters have destroyed the planet, and Nonie and her family (actual and found) are living on the roof of a New York City museum. They are trying to save the museum artifacts, but at some point they need to leave to survive themselves and leave on an epic adventure. Weather is really the scariest part of the book, although some people are very scary too. There is some hope in the book, but it is generally pretty tense. It's written very well, and I got attached to the characters.

In All the Water in the World is a profound atmospheric, speculative fiction by Eiren Caffall. While its main focus is on climate change, it also highlights our own fragile human nature yet it doesn't ignore the indomitable human spirit. So, while there is a lot of sadness, it doesn't skimp on hope and love. So, join Nonie and her family as they seek to save our past and create a better future.

The glaciers have melted causing seawater to rise and unleashing catastrophic storms across the world. Young Nonnie lives with her family and fellow survivors on the roof of the New York Museum of Natural History until one day they must flee and venture to the countryside for safety. This was a beautifully written story. I especially loved the flashbacks to the early days of their life living at the Museum. Will think about this one a while. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book.

All the water in the world is a climate change apocalyptic “thriller” (though this is more of a slow burn and quiet than a a thriller). It follows a family who live in a colony on a rooftop in water logged manhattan. The world is downing when the glaciers melt and nonnie and her family save artifacts from the world as it was while living off a wild Central Park. A superstorm blows in and they have to relocate to a new location hundreds of miles away, while they try to preserve their history of the past for future generations. They come into contact with our colonies along the way-some more frightening in their fight for survival than others.

The book is slow paced as I said earlier and is reminiscent of later season walking dead (minus the zombies). If you like climate change books or book about survival or the apocalypse, then this is for you!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really liked this post-apocalyptic, climate thriller! I loved the setting and the way the story was told. I thought the storytelling was crafty, and pulled the reader in directly and immediately. I wish some of the ideas/storylines had been flushed out a bit more, and been a bit longer, as I felt the ending came a little quickly, but overall it was so well done!

If you loved Station 11, I highly recommend All the Water in The World. The story follows a family who are climate change refugees, living in the watery world of Manhattan, and the challenges that they face to stay alive. It wasn't an uplifting read, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Climate fiction isn't something I read very much; the story was interesting and I thought a pretty good exploration of how apocalyptic events can effect us. There was a lot of loss in this book, which made me very sad and yet I feel like it is (unfortunately) an accurate depiction.
I liked that the book really looked at the crucial moments of having to move on and find new safety without getting bogged down in the how this happened or the daily drudge of survival once safety is found.

I'm always on the lookout for post-apocalyptic fiction to recommend to my book club. And I will definitely be recommending this book to them.

I was drawn to this book because of the climate fiction aspect as well as it taking place in part at the American Museum of Natural History. I thought it was a unique place to set a post-apocalyptic novel.

Nonie is the narrator of the story and she is an interesting choice. It's not until the end that we get an idea of what her age is but from clues dropped earlier in the story I figured she was around 12 or 13. But the story is not a young adult novel. Her perspective at times is like a child who sees and hears everything but doesn't necessarily have an opinion or bias to filter what she sees or hears through.

The story is more about the journey which is highlighted metaphorically by the presence of the Hudson River the characters follow when Amen is destroyed in a hypercane.

I can't say the story is all that unique but it definitely had its profound moments and beautiful prose. It would be an excellent book for discussion. Several times, I had to pause and reflect on Nonie's observations.

I enjoyed spending time with these characters and was a little sad when I came to the end as I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2025/01/all-water-in-world-by-eiren-caffell.html

A dystopian novel told from the viewpoint of a young girl and her writing of the times in two different viewpoints The World As it Was as told to her from her mother, father and found family and their current situation that starts out with storms and flooding with the urgency to flee to safety for the few survivors left. This girl had no idea what the world once was but was recording it for future generations. Survival is not only from natural forces but viral and other people.
Enjoyable read!

This book was unexpected for me. I felt like the beginning drug on and was a little difficult to get into. I think partly because you are learning the world through the eyes of a teenager in a post apocalyptic setting, but also because of the flashbacks. I’d say about 20% through the pacing picked up substantially and I had a much easier time following along with the book. I loved that it was giving waterworld, the last of us (sans zombies), a quiet place (sans monsters), and so many other dystopian stories like that. I really enjoyed that the monsters were actually just other humans in this one. I liked the ending and I felt like it was nice that it wasn’t necessarily the “we found the farm exactly like we wanted to” and yet they still make it work for themselves. I’d be very interested in a sequel to this one.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of All the Water in the World: A Novel by Eiren Caffall from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. The book is available now!

I wanted to read All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall when I heard that it is about a group of people surviving a major flood by living in New York's American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). I have been to the museum a few times and know that area of New York pretty well, so I could really visualize the devastation of the flooding and crazy weather. I can even imagine there would be people who would care enough to try to preserve history so that future generations could understand what the world was like before it was destroyed by extreme weather events. Not everyone in the world will have good intentions though, and survival is the name of the game when resources are scarce. It is more interesting that the story is really centered on a young girl growing up in this new world. These experiences shape her, and she has a special relationship with the water. Her descriptions of the different kinds of water are magical. While I think it is still dystopian fiction, I still felt a sense of hope.

Bonus points for including Joliet, IL. That was an unexpected and welcome surprise. My dad was from Joliet, so I always appreciate when it pops up. It also gave me a better sense of who Keller is.

"That's what you do in the darkness."
"And you never know in the darkness who is holding the light."

Survival is never pretty, it's always brutal, sad but inspiring. Nonie is young, in a world where the water rose and has eaten a lot of the land. The water is not good - it's full of bacteria, hard pieces, and disease. Nonie lives in a somewhat safe building - an old museum - that her family fled to as the waters rose. It's kept them safe, with heavy doors, small windows, and big gates. Nonie has lived here and felt a kind of safety without light or running electricity but with a great gift - the ability to sense when the weather changes and storms or rain are coming.

But the large storm that makes them lose their safety in the museum isn't one that Nonie senses with enough time to help them save needed resources. Medicine, food, even safe water - all gone in the midst of their fast flee from the home they know. Now they are outside, looking for a safe place to land - but in survival, not everywhere is safe.

This was such a compelling story. I started as an e-book and flipped to audio. The narrator did such a great job of reminding you the main character is still very young and yet, injected the perfect amount of emotion into all their harrowing moments. It's a sad, hopeful story - one that pits us against our fellow humans but also animals and nature. But what an amazing thing, to survive and live.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Eiren Caffall’s All the Water in the World is a beautifully written novel that blends literary fiction with post-apocalyptic survival. Set in a flooded New York City after the glaciers have melted, the book offers a poignant meditation on loss, resilience, and what humanity chooses to preserve in the face of collapse. While its themes are compelling and its prose often lyrical, the novel struggles with pacing and character depth, making it an uneven reading experience.

The concept of a community living on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History is fascinating, and Caffall vividly portrays this flooded world, from the wild gardens of Central Park to the precarious survival along the swollen Hudson River. The environmental and historical inspirations behind the story lend it a sense of urgency and authenticity, and the central question—what is worth saving when everything else is lost?—is both thought-provoking and timely.

Nonie’s perspective as a girl with a deep connection to water adds a layer of mysticism to the narrative, but her voice sometimes feels too detached to fully engage the reader. The relationships between Nonie, her sister, and her parents have moments of emotional resonance but often feel underdeveloped. This lack of depth makes it harder to fully invest in their journey, even as they face storms, danger, and encounters with other communities adapting to the new world in unsettling ways.

The pacing is uneven, with long stretches of introspection that, while beautifully written, slow down the story’s momentum. When the action picks up—particularly during the escape from New York and encounters along the river—the novel becomes more gripping, but these moments are sporadic.

Despite its flaws, All the Water in the World shines in its exploration of humanity’s relationship with knowledge, history, and nature. Its themes will resonate with readers who enjoy reflective, atmospheric storytelling. While it doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights of works like Station Eleven or Parable of the Sower, it offers a unique perspective on survival and the enduring power of love and community. For those drawn to literary dystopias, this book may still be worth the journey.

All The Water In The World by Eiren Caffall

At the heart this is story about survival and what is means to be a refugee in a world that is uncertain. This is not a light read but it was a hopeful one. The world has become one where there is more water than land and the world has become a place where you fend for yourself. In that world there are communities running in tight circles to survive.

I liked this one as it really showed what was important to who we are, our histories and our communities. It felt important as we head into uncertain futures and ones where the communities you create are so important. If you are looking for a book that will give you a different perspective, hope and the very essence of what it means to carry on after it feels like you can’t this is a good one to sink into.

I've never read anything quite like this book but I was immediately drawn in by the premise. It took me longer than usual to get into it and even finish it because of the way it was written. It takes place across two timelines: the past and the present. But it didn't feel like a clear separation of the two timelines, which is something I really struggled with. I definitely wouldn't recommend this to others (like myself) who are mostly romance readers, as the structure of the book is incredibly different and hard to get into. But someone who reads more sci-fi, futuristic style books may be the perfect kind of person to pick it up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Eiren Caffall, and St. Martin's Press for sending me an early copy!

This novel, set in a future when the dire predictions about climate change have come true, should serve as a wake-up call. The main character is Nonie, a teen who lives with her family at the top of New York's Museum of Natural History because all of Manhattan and environs have been flooded by rising oceans. After a super storm slams what remains of their urban haven, the family must set off in hopes of reaching higher ground and safety. Hoping to reach a family member in the woods of the Berkshires, they follow the Hudson River in various rickety water craft, encountering danger from weather, medical problems, and armed survivalists. This story is most powerful as a cautionary tale of likely affects of our inattention to the natural world, and also as a tribute to resilience and family strength.

I live near New York City and spend much of my childhood running around Central Park, climbing on the glacial rocks, looking at the statues and visiting The Central Park Zoo. I fondly look back at the hours spend wandering around the Met, MoMA, & American Museum of Natural History looking at the animal dioramas, sitting in the Planetarium or standing and staring in awe at the Blue Whale and dinosaurs. As I grew older I visited West Point, FDR's Estate and Park, the sculpture walks at Storm King, gawked at The Palisades and even visited Lee, Massachusetts. So, why is this list of my activities important to my review, this book literally took me on a road trip of myself and made me stare at the face of a world without these things and experiences, vividly and in detail. I saw a future where what is special to me was erased and forgotten due to global climate change and ocean level rise. You can tell this book's theme, narrative, and writing were amazing and hit too close to home for me. Now that, to me, is a book worth reading and owning. Although this is a world that is fictional, Nonie and her family live in a world this is all too possible today and one that becomes even more probable with every passing year. I felt as if my world was being, literally, washed away and a newer, unknown, and nightmarish one was emerging to take its place that I did not want to experience .

A good storyteller can share events that exist in their mind with a listener, but a great story teller puts you in the middle of a story and has you experience it with the characters. Eiren Caffall has done this with me -and thus the reason for my introduction to this review. This book, though written beautifully for a YA reader will resonate with anyone. This book left me stymied at several points because of the realness of it. It made me stop reading several times because I felt the bleakness of its present through the adults that once worked for the Museum that they are living in and their understanding of the altered world they exist in. I was transported back through the Hall of Plains Animal, to the Woodland People's exhibit to see the giant birch bark canoe, has he tearing up at the loss of the North Pacific People's Totem Poles rotting away; however, despite this all there was the hope that The Farm would be there to get them through it all and in Nonie and her sister I could see the fight to begin again. All is not lost despite the bleakness, humankind will move forward. And the Children of this New World will reclaim it with their grit, drive, and determination. This is a slow book, but one that used that pacing to transport me.

Power, beauty, vision, and hope all lie at the heart of this flooded landscape. I hope this book is viewed as speculative science fiction when it is looked back at in 100 years rather than as a missed Memo and warning. I hope we take a note of the question that is so often posed in this work today - "Didn't they know this coming? Couldn't they have done anything?" "

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ebook I read

All the Water in the World is an excellent addition to the growing genre of climate change fiction. The premise of a group of people in NYC trying to document the collections at the Natural History Museum for future generations was fascinating, and I thought the characters were well-developed. Caffall was deft in moving among various time frames and using those shifts to build our understanding of character and relationships. The suspense and action picked up once the small group of those remaining went north after a massive rise in the water level, and it is here that comparisons to Station Eleven come into play. All in all, I found this to be a thoughtful exploration of climate crisis built around characters I could definitely care for as the story developed.