I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall Published by St. Martin's Press on January 7 2025
Genres: Adult, Climate sci-fi, Post apocalyptic
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
The nitty-gritty: Full of vivid imagery, thrilling action scenes and plenty of emotion, All the Water in the World is this year’s “don’t miss” post-apocalyptic story.
“That storm, the last storm of Amen, was a hypercane, like Jess predicted, the Monster in the Water. It moved faster than thought and faster than sense. It swept in to take everything, and I didn’t see it. I was a girl on a roof, and I couldn’t tell everyone, ‘The end is here.’”
I didn’t have plans to request All the Water in the World, but a publicist offered me an eARC, so I thought, why not? And it was such a great decision! I absolutely loved this book, and I’m so glad to have discovered Eiren Caffall. It’s being compared to Station Eleven and that’s a fair comparison, and I would also say if you’re a fan of The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton, you should definitely give this a try. Caffall tackles such themes as climate change, preserving our history, loss and grief, and wraps it all up in a thrilling story of survival. This is a vision of the future I haven’t seen done in quite this way before, and combined with beautifully drawn characters and many emotional moments, it really won me over.
The story is narrated by thirteen-year-old Nonie and takes place during what she calls The World As It Is. Nonie, her sister Bix and their parents live on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, after years of increasing storms and rising oceans forced them to find a safe, dry place to call home. Much of New York is under water, but the museum, which they’ve nicknamed “Amen,” is still water-tight in many places, and they’ve been able to not only survive, but to take care of the many artifacts the museum houses. Nonie’s mother has taught her how to take detailed notes on each artifact and preserve that information for the future, just in case the worst happens.
And then one day, it does. A gigantic hurricane hits New York, plunging the remaining dry land and everything on it into the sea. Nonie and her family barely escape in a birchbark canoe, one of the museum exhibits that they’ve hidden from looters. With a destination in mind—Mother’s family farm in Tyringham—they begin their treacherous journey to safety.
This was an unexpectedly thrilling tale of survival, as Nonie, Bix, Father and their friend Keller are forced to flee the safety of Amen in an old birchbark canoe, rowing across the Hudson River (which has become part of the ocean!) while trying to avoid the Lost—those desperate people without shelter who loot and kill to survive. In alternating chapters, Nonie fills in some of the blanks of what life was like before the story begins (“The World As It Was”), how some of their friends and family were lost, and how the world changed. This is one of my favorite storytelling techniques, and Caffall does a great job of balancing the past and present narratives. In addition to the terrible storms, there is the constant threat of illness, as medicine is in short supply. There are some very tense moments in the story when the characters are sick or injured, and you just don’t know if they will survive. And because I loved the characters so much, these scenes were very stressful!
Caffall’s imagery is gorgeous. Her descriptions of the birchbark canoe floating over the drowned city of New York were so eerie and magical. Nonie peers over the side of the boat and sees buildings, sidewalks and trees below the water, but also piles of dead bodies (people who drowned in the storm). We see everything through Nonie’s eyes, a girl who has never lived in a normal world, and it’s such a surreal experience.
I also loved everything about the museum setting and the way the characters are so dedicated to preserving the exhibits and artifacts for the future—not knowing for sure that there will be a future. Caffall used some real life examples as inspiration for her story, including the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad during WWII, which gave a deeper layer of meaning to the story. Nonie’s Mother and Father, as well as their friend Keller, are all scientists of one type or another, so the book is peppered with facts on storm systems, the ocean, climate change, entomology and much more.
As for the characters, I loved every one of them. Nonie is a precocious young girl who has an affinity for water and can sense storms. She writes everything about the weather down in her water Logbook, hoping to see patterns and predict what will come next. She wistfully thinks about a research vessel called the Sally Ride that someone told her about, and throughout the story she wonders if the ship is still out there somewhere. The small group who live together in the museum are a tight knit community who care for and protect each other, so when tragedy strikes (and it does, unfortunately), it’s even more emotional because you care so much for these people.
The story is packed with so many wonderful moments and details, that I have barely scratched the surface in this review. All the Water In the World would make a fantastic movie, and it sort of reminded me of the Netflix movie Leave the World Behind. My favorite apocalyptic stories are the ones that leave the reader with a feeling of hope, and this one does that brilliantly.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Wow this sounds really good. Last year I had several challenges that called for dystopian reads and I realized after the year was over I didn’t read one! I won’t make the same mistake this year and this one may just fit the bill!
It would be perfect for that challenge!
This came late to my attention, but wow, it sounds good! I’m just waiting for my library to get a copy
Ooh I hope you get to read it!
I used to read quite a few similar stories to this one but these days apocalyptic stories give me anxiety. It does sound great and I’m glad that it ends with leaving the reader with a feeling of hope.
There was definitely some anxiety reading this, but I still loved it:-)
If I was in post apocalyptic stories I totally would read it! But now they give me anxiety.
I totally get that!
The reason I stopped reading many dystopian or post-apocalyptic books is because they can sometimes be one-note-bleak and I am happy to see this one isn’t like that. Now I’m more curious about it! Plus I do like books that touch on the topic of climate change.
I loved all the science, it made it feel more real but it was so interesting.
This sounds really good and the quote that you started this review off with instantly left me longing for more. I love the way that you’ve described the storytelling and the eyes that you see this world through. It sounds fascinating. The fact that it’s thrilling and emotive is wonderful too. I’ll definitely have to check it out sometime .
It’s such a beautiful story, despite all the scary parts:-)
I love the sound of this. I’ll have to try to read it.
Yes, definitely if you have time!
This sounds so unique! And I think the imagery of NYC like this would be so neat to read and try to relate to the times I was there and what all I remember. Thanks for sharing this one!
Oh yeah, I like the new header!
Thank you Lisa! I went to New York years ago and this story brought back lots of images:-)
I’m right there with you about stories with some sense of hope. Not that I can’t enjoy one without it, but I find it so much more compelling when there is something, anything, to hope for.
Exactly! Especially after a lot of stressful events!
Oh wow, this climate scifi is very tempting!
Great review.
And by the way, awesome new banner – sorry, hadn’t paid attention to it earlier.
Thanks Emma! I don’t know why I love climate sci-fi so much, it should terrify me!
I used to love a good post apocalyptic story but haven’t read anything like that in a while now. I do feel a bit tempted by this one as you mentioned that it left you with a feeling of hope.
A lot of harsh things happen, but the ending was great:-)
I was given an eARC of this book, too; and, I want to say it’s because I’ve read a couple of “recent” dystopian works (i.e. “How High We Go in the Dark” and “The Deluge”). It makes you wonder whether or not the audience are truly prepared for such a disastrous moment. These books focus on the characters’ survival within a “changed” world. I believe that’s why these stories are so captivating.
I’m jumping the gun here, so I’ll have to read it before I can say anything else. Excellent review!
I hope you get the chance to read it, I’d love to hear what you think:-)
Your enthusiasm really shows in yoir review! I am glad you enjoyed this one so much! It sounds like an original story!
I just loved her writing so much:-)
Great review. I don’t know why but I’ve completely missed this book – not heard of it – mind you, I’ve been very low profile for a few weeks with so many other things going on.
Lynn