The Unmapping follows Esme and Arjun, coworkers in NYC's emergency management department, who find themselves in the midst of social chaos after New York's buildings begin to rearrange nightly. On top of their work responsibilities -- greatly augmented by the number of missing/lost people and the disasters caused by the buildings' movements, as well as growing social unrest -- Esme's searching for her missing fiance, and Arjun's searching for a place he can feel useful and wanted.
The novel also follows an entire cast of supporting characters whose stories are at once connected and completely disparate from Esme and Arjun: the mayor, a stranded young boy, a news reporter, and so many more. It follows Esme & Arjun & this supporting cast and also, simultaneously, somehow, the story of all of New York City.

This book seemed like it would be perfect for me --and I did enjoy reading it, and I can't figure out WHY it didn't quite blow me away. The writing was a great blend of conversational and literary: very accessible. The concept of the Unmapping itself: surreal, funky, and somehow just believable enough. It's a story about climate change, and cults, and the structural misuse of power, and the power of the citizen, and work-life balance, and individual stories in a mass panic. All things I'm super into.

That said, it wasn't quiiiiite it for me. I don't know why: maybe I wished for a little more quirk, or maybe I was too annoyed with the frustrating, but understandable decisions the characters (particularly Esme and Arjun, but all of them) kept making. I think ultimately I went into it thinking it would be So For Me and it was, but the expectations were maybe a little high on my end.

Regardless, I will absolutely be recommending this book. At the end of the day it wasn't perfect for me, but it was beautiful, interesting, and really relevant -- and I enjoyed it! (I will be seeking out more of Robbins' work because I think she's probably got other stories that will resonate with me more.)

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Eh, this book fell flat for me. Super interesting premise, it definitely wasn't bad, but just seemed disconnected all throughout the story. Maybe that's the point, lol. Several story lines were ongoing simultaneously and I feel like half of them had no resolution, or an abrupt, incomplete ending. Several major events in the book were just skipped over and many things were left unexplained. I kept waiting for a denouement that didn't come. Not bad, but I would not reread this one, myself.

The book explores an intriguing concept, but unfortunately, it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential. The story starts off with promise, but quickly becomes entangled by a chaotic mix of themes. Instead of focusing on the central event of the Unmapping and its aftermath, it focuses more on the characters' actions and feelings, which could have been fine. But, the characters themselves aren’t particularly likable. The writing style also didn’t draw me in. If you're a fan of speculative climate sci-fi, it may still be worth checking out, but it didn’t quite click for me.

<i> Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Bindery books in exchange for an honest review. </i>

This is a really gripping sci-fi that tackles a wide range of important themes, within a complex framework of life-threatening disasters, tense interpersonal relationships and grassroots social revolution (all lightly sprinkled with cults & conspiracies). My sincere thanks to NetGalley & Bindery Books for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review; this was such a compelling & rewarding read!

The narrative style is engaging in its down-to-earth, stream-of-consciousness style that really helps you get in the heads of the characters. I felt the choice to deliberately keep some characters nameless was very effective, driving home the feeling of being small & insignificant (in some positive ways as well as negative) when facing a global crisis that is so much bigger than you.

I related a great deal to the fear and solitude being explored for many of the characters, as well as the heartfelt depiction of community mindset, and of individuals standing up to do whatever they can, no matter how small-scale, to help others against impossible odds.

There were parts of the plot that I struggled to keep up with. I’m not sure I understand the purpose of the cult subplot, and my scientific knowledge is nowhere near good enough to tell you if any of the possible explanations given for why the Unmapping came about hold water or not. But I didn’t find myself put off by any of that; it was a fun ride & thought experiment, and I enjoyed the journey either way.

I recommend this book to anyone keen on sci-fi centred around climate-change or global disaster - also potentially fans of Stephen King’s ‘Under the Dome’ or the TV series ‘The OA’ - who enjoy exploring the everyday human impact & themes of social justice within that setting.

There are a few potentially sensitive topics covered in this book, so I will include some Content Warnings below for those who find them helpful. So fair warning to STOP READING HERE TO AVOID MINOR SPOILERS.

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Content Warnings:
- bereavement, including loss of a parent & spouse, and grief relating to missing persons
- bigotry, including ableism, classism, racism & misogyny
- claustrophobia & fear of being buried alive
- cult brainwashing & manipulation
- domestic violence (briefly mentioned, not depicted)
- drug use/addiction & dealing (briefly mentioned twice, not depicted)
- lockdown/stay-at-home requirement
- mental health, including depression & anxiety, and ableist attitudes towards medication
- police brutality & racially-motivated violence
- sexual content (mild)
- sexual harassment
- suicide (mentioned, not depicted)
- violence & blood - including explosions, gun violence & gang violence

This book gave me anxiety in the best way. Set in New York City, we follow Esme as she travels to work at the Emergency Response Department to find that the city has unmapped itself. No one knows why or how it's happening, but at 4am each day, the city rearranges itself in a seemingly unknowable pattern. The Empire State Building ends up on Coney Island. People are missing or trapped underneath buildings. There are cults popping up everywhere. Why are there so many aluminum Christmas trees?
Robbins does a great job with the tone of this book. We see the Unmapping through several different perspectives which occasionally get flipped on their head. The narrative voice is always breezy and conversational even when we're unsure who we're following. We feel the despair and confusion of the city and we feel the small bright light of communities being forged from the darkness. It's a wide portrait of a country in crisis.
I will say that the book felt disjointed in places. There were some sections that skimmed past something crucial or focused on a seemingly unimportant section of the story for too long. This book has a gigantic premise and it does its best to present as many facets of that premise as it can squeeze into its pages. I enjoyed jumping around and seeing all of the different points of view, but I can see how some people could find it too scattered.
This was an anxiety-inducing but ultimately enjoyable read and I recommend it to anyone interested in speculative fiction about climate change and its many possible effects on our future. A great reminder that, in the end, our human connections are what make everything possible.
Thank you to Bindery Books and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

In the early hours of the morning, New York City experiences The Unmapping. Parks, green spaces and roads stay in place, but buildings rearrange themselves overnight, every night. Imagine the Empire State building on Coney Island. Few are prepared for the disaster. Esme Green of the city’s emergency management team wades through the city’s response while desperately seeking for her missing fiancé. Arjun Varma, her coworker, takes on the ground-level response of rescuing disoriented New Yorkers. The first day takes up nearly the first half of the book, but after that we learn how the city comes to cope with the tragedy. The city becomes a hot spot for theories of what might have caused the phenomena that begins to spread to other densely populated areas, as well as host to a mysterious cult with links to Wisconsin where it all began. The author does a good job of delving into the political unrest and the breakdown of society that could follow such an event as well as the science for how one might deal with the repercussions of waking up every day in a new place.

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Bindery, and Mareas for the advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.
New York City - the buildings seemingly rearrange themselves in the middle of the night. And the MC is tasked with getting things under control while searching for her missing partner.
I really enjoyed this one, but there were a few elements I felt did not work that stopped me from giving a 5 star review. I felt the pacing was off in the beginning, and the writing style takes some getting used to. The premise was profound but I felt the execution was lacking, I didn't realize the book kind of shucked fantastical elements in lieu of political, social, and speculative themes. I did enjoy the themes of friendship and relationships.
About 50% was when the pacing picked up, and then I stayed up all night to finish. So overall I enjoyed the work and will read more from this author.

Book Review: The Unmapping

I really wanted to love this book—the concept of a city that rearranges itself overnight had so much potential. But unfortunately, The Unmapping fell flat for me.

For a story about a disaster reshaping New York City, there was surprisingly little action or chaos. The pacing dragged under the weight of overly wordy prose, and while the premise was intriguing, the cause of “The Unmapping” remained frustratingly vague. Instead of diving into the survival aspect or the sheer panic this situation should’ve caused, the book focused too much on characters who weren’t particularly likable or compelling.

There were hints at deeper themes like social injustice, but they felt underdeveloped—mentioned but never fully explored. The book ended up being easy to skim, and not in a good way. I kept waiting for the tension to build, for the stakes to feel real, but it never quite got there.

Two stars—for an interesting idea that initially hooked me—but ultimately, this was a disappointment.

A page-turner. This book had me gripped from the start. The unraveling and rebuilding as experienced through the unraveling of physical space and personal inner maps. A fantastic, unique plot for exploring the human experience.

This was a super interesting literary fiction sci-fi dystopian novel. Increasingly relevant, it was a great debut novel. With great characters and deep world-building, it was a very compelling read.

I feel like this is going to be a book that people react strongly to one way or the other. I personally really enjoyed it.

The premise is so intriguing, and I appreciated the way Robbins delves into the way different people and communities react to times of extreme upheaval and uncertainty. Perhaps because I read it during a tumultuous political time when those around me were reeling, it felt particularly relevant and insightful.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

Guys, I think I like speculative fiction! This was my first real foray into the genre, and I’m so glad it was. This started out weird and got weirder throughout, but the way it was done made me ask so many questions and really got my brain working. Amidst the chaos of the disaster at hand the author did a great job of providing perspectives of characters that felt incredibly real. Not good people, not bad people, just people navigating an unprecedented time. It made me think of how I would respond in this kind of situation and what I would deem most important in my life.

I really enjoyed the completely new premise mixed into a very familiar setting. Who can say that in the last five years they haven’t experienced “unprecedented” times? I finished the book wondering about the importance of a sense of self and a sense of community. Two very important elements of life and yet two of the most overlooked. Ok, I’m feeling like I’m about to slip too far into the philosophical so I’ll stop there.

I do have to admit that while reading the emergency services sections, I had to shut off the part of my brain that used to be one of those nerds behind a computer during emergency response operations. There were absolute inconsistencies with how actual response operations would have worked in the real world, particularly with how much decision making power the mayor has, but I digress it added to the story. And this is a work of fiction.

Now, about the book itself, I really enjoyed it overall and the ending was strong. Heck, the ending left me confused but okay with the understanding that I don’t have to understand everything. I loved the feeling of just being thrust into these complex character’s lives and only learning the bare minimum about their past selves. My only criticism is that the middle of the book felt like it meandered a little. There were some perspectives that dragged and a couple inner monologues that could have used some editing down in my opinion. Other than that, my complaints were minimal.

If you’re looking to dip your tow into speculative fiction, this is a great starter! Just be ready to not get all the answers or for anyone’s story to be wrapped up in a perfect bow. Much like life, you get the sense their stories aren’t over. I will absolutely be looking for more books written by Robbins in the future.

The concept behind this novel intrigued me, which is the only reason I requested to read it. The execution of the Unmapping unfortunately reminded me of the Happening. Interesting concept, undesirable execution, and incredibly unlikable main characters. I spent the entire book wondering if Robbins wanted to reader to like Esme and Arjun? No, right?

I found this book to be the worst I've read in a while regarding representation of female characters. Esme thinks in repetitive fragments and 99.98% of those thoughts are about Marcus. I honestly started to think a) Marcus wasn't real and b) Esme's own thoughts wouldn't pass the Bechdel test. She obsessed over him so much I started to understand why the guy was avoiding her. Her thoughts were disturbing to read.

In terms of other female characters: we get the woman who missed her date with Rick. Broke with no phone, she's still just thinking about this missed date with a guy she's never met in person. Then we have the mayor obsessing over the guy she's having an affair with. We also have the wife of a doomsday prepper, you guessed it, obsessing over when her husband will return.

Arjun is a concerning portrayal of a mentally unwell character. The world (lbr, New York mainly) is falling apart and he's obsessing over a crush. It adds to my chief issue with this book: nothing feels real.

I thought this was meant to show that civilians tend to downplay disaster until it's too late and instead they focus on trivial things like workplace romance. But, when that's SO much of the novel, the disaster takes a serious backseat. It just didn't make for interesting or entertaining reading.

The only part of this I found somewhat interesting was the story of the kid trapped under (in?) a building. If the entire story centered around that perhaps as a representation of how the city's planning for emergencies completely broke down, maybe I would've found this more interesting. Instead, this novel feels like when someone's trying to tell you a story and they just keep going down tangents to explain about the parents and hobbies of random people you've never heard or nor care about.

It just felt like messy story telling. I acknowledge this writing style is 100% not my favorite so that added to me enjoying this a lot less than others.

Denise S. Robbins’ The Unmapping is a novel that lingers long after the last page—a haunting, poetic meditation on how climate change reshapes not just our world, but our personal histories and identities. Blending elements of speculative fiction with deep emotional resonance, Robbins crafts a story that is as urgent as it is beautifully written.

At its heart, The Unmapping follows a protagonist grappling with shifting landscapes—both external and internal. As coastlines disappear and familiar places are swallowed by rising waters, so too are the maps of memory that once anchored them. Robbins’ prose is stunning, her descriptions so vivid that you can almost feel the ground slipping away beneath your feet.

What sets this novel apart is its exploration of how change—whether environmental or personal—forces us to reconsider what we hold onto and what we must let go of. It’s a story about resilience, adaptation, and the deep, sometimes painful connections between people and place.

If you’re drawn to books that make you think, feel, and see the world a little differently, The Unmapping is a must-read. It’s timely, lyrical, and profoundly moving—perfect for anyone who has ever felt the weight of an uncertain future and wondered how to find their way through it.

The Unmapping offers a fascinating premise with New York City’s buildings rearranging overnight, but the execution doesn’t fully deliver. While the shifting city and its chaos provide a solid foundation for exploration, the character development feels flat, and the plot sometimes gets lost in too many perspectives and unresolved subplots. The environmental and political themes feel underdeveloped, making it a thought-provoking but not entirely satisfying read.

I had a hard time connecting with the main characters. I had high hopes with the unique premise but felt it did not deliver.

The entire concept of The Unmapping is such an unique one. But I think I went in with the wrong expectation for it. I expected it to be a disaster story that covers the chaos that comes with the unmapping and society adaptation to it but it wasn’t really. The writing was more than fine but I think what didn’t get to me or what I found myself indifferent to were the characters we were presented with. Overall it was a fine novel with an interesting idea, I am curious to see what Robbins come up with after this one though.

The Unmapping has a unique premise that I was really excited about, but I expected more of a true disaster story rather than a bureaucratic and personal drama set against the chaos. The ever-shifting city was fascinating; unfortunately, I didn’t really care for any of the characters. The concept kept me reading, but I never fully connected.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bindery Books for providing an eARC of The Unmapping prior to publication.

I really liked the premise of this book, and that’s for sure what kept me reading. The ending isn’t completely concrete but it’s satisfying enough. One thing I noticed is that all the women were miserable until they relied on a man, and this was written by a woman so that’s disappointing. I know this isn’t a corrected copy, so the format could change when published, but it was rough. Each page was either formatted horribly or was one solid paragraph. The stream-of-consciousness worked for me in this book, but the huge blocks of text were cumbersome.

I received this from net galley in exchange for a review.

Despite a very promising premise, the Unmapping was too messy for me to enjoy.

Now you might think messy books can be fun, sometimes that's exactly what a narrative or protagonist needs, but this was just everywhere... At first, I just though this wasn't for me but would definitely appeal to another audience, but the thing is I don't really understand who would that be now. The Unmapping is unable to pick what it wants to be and leaves us in an uncomfortable, unsatisfying in-between, closer to nothingness than to anything else. Oscillating between quirky, lighthearted and dramatic, vaguely political sci-fi, it tries to be everything all at once and it just leaves the reader confused. I couldn't get into the stories mostly because of that, the tone kept shifting and it made everything feel artificial and unimportant. The narration itself felt that way as well, I found it formulaic and flat, trying so hard to be cool and edgy but ending up very repetitive and simply tiring to read. It kept every storyline at armlength and, although it work perfectly fine for the secondary plots, it made the two protagonists povs unimmersive and therefore boring. I think one of its problem was that it couldn't differentiate actions from descriptions from commentaries and just laid everything on the same level.
I really enjoyed the quick glances at other characters, the way they remained nameless at first, mimicking the anonymity of the big city. It was simply fun and suited the circonstances so well, showing effectively the impact of the unmapping in unexpected ways. I could have read 20 more of these. The writing was also more balanced in those parts and somehow I ended up caring much more of these characters than for Edme & Arjun. I do think coming back to these characters all the time and tying their stories to the main one was a mistake and it would have been more effective to continue displaying only snippets of random people throughout the whole book. It helped us understand the situation and its implications in the "show don't tell" books need. But I recognise this is just a matter of personal taste and I see why other readers would prefer to get to know secondary characters' fate.
As for the main characters... Were we supposed to hate them both ? Edme had simply no personality, no character at all. The way she just flips her mind at the end was so abrupt and puzzling, it just felt convenient to the story. [Which again couldn't decide that genre to be and was now a romance ?] And Arjun was an opportunistic creep. I couldn't have cared less about any of them which is a shame because their jobs could have made a really interesting story.

2/5

Arc provided by the published through Netgalley.