❤️ For my friends who want an action-packed, heart-filled post-apocalyptic literary thriller.

ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD by Eiren Caffall (Eunice Wong, Narrator)

🎧 Thanks, @stmartinspress and @Macmillan.audio, for the book and audiobook review copies via #NetGalley. (Available now) 8 hours, 12 minutes

After a global climate-based apocalypse floods New York City, a small group of researchers create a settlement in the American Museum of Natural History. They are equally concerned with their survival and the preservation of their collections, comparing themselves to curators in Iraq and Leningrad, who worked to protect their collections from war. With them are 13-year-old Nonie, her father, and her older sister. But when a superstorm breaches the flood walls, they are forced to flee north, facing threats from the elements and other survivors on their way.

This brilliantly written literary thriller was as heart-pounding as it was heart-wrenching. It highlighted the unbreakable bonds of a family—both those we’re born into and those we find along the way.

The audiobook performance is exceptional. Eunice Wong perfectly captures the nuance of each character and adds a haunting quality to Nonie’s old soul in a young body.

All the Water in the world
I thought this was a very good book! I enjoyed the characters and the story as a whole! Slow burning post apocalyptic journey to survive a flooded world.
Thanks net galley and st martins press for this arc.

This is really something special. When I read the description comparing it to Station Eleven-one of my all-time favorites and a book that completely changed the way I think of and interact with people-I knew I wanted to give it a try. This is a story told by Nonie, whose family has had to relocate to living on top of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. At some point in the present or near future, climate changes have altered life as we know it to something unrecognizable. Nonie's parents are scientists that are employed by the AMNH (or "Amen" as they call it) so it felt natural to them to retreat to the roof when things started getting dangerous outside. But as with all apocalyptic scenarios, food is scarce and medications are long gone. Even though the waters continue to rise outside, this family has to find another living situation. They decide to borrow a canoe from one of the museum exhibits and navigate the Hudson River north to a small farm owned by Nonie's family. Not everyone that sets out from Amen makes it alive, and there are dangers around every bend in the river.

So this really felt like three separate tales to me: the first half is Nonie's family living in a longhouse on the roof of AMNH with a few others, a tightknit community of found family. When they leave, the journey upriver is like a completely separate story. Interspersed throughout are flashback chapters of an earlier life. My favorite of all of these was the tale of the journey to the farm. The whole story was breathtaking and suspenseful and emotional and introspective, but the time spent on the run was fast-paced and thrilling and dangerous. When I began the book, I had to adjust my reading speed to slow down and really take my time with the chapters because of the emotional weight of what was happening. I really felt a lot in these pages and I thought about it a lot when I was not reading. But once the small group went on the run, I felt like I couldn't read fast enough. It took me a full week to read the first half of the book and only a few hours to read the second half.

There is a lot of science in here, which I loved. The story doesn't waste its time teaching you what any of it means; you either have to know it already or stop and look things up along the way, if that suits you. It suited me just fine and I managed to learn some stuff. I believe that people who love STEM will find a lot in here to love.

One of my favorite details, and one of the most terrifying, is that of a world where hurricanes have become hypercanes-where every aspect of the huge storms if BIGGER and more destructive. Reading the hypercane chapters felt like I was standing right in it, drenched from the rain and windblown, trying to survive. Absolutely fascinating.

Anyway, I loved it. I am exactly the right reader for this book and I'm so glad that it found me. I feel good about how everything ended. It was stressful to me to put myself in Nonie's place, or Bix's or Mary's or Esther's, but I did it anyway. And that's one of the reasons this will sit with me for a very long time. It's a world that could exist with the climate changes we are experiencing, and there is definitely a lot of food for thought. I'm so glad I read it. I loved the quiet intelligence and emotion of the first half so much, and I also loved the danger and suspense of the second half. Even though it isn't Station Eleven exactly, I can see why there is a comparison there.

3.5 stars rounded up for this climate-oriented survival story with a quiet but tough cast of characters -- I ended up enjoying this one. Candidly I felt like it started a little bit slow, and early on I felt like the continual switches between the two timelines were a little distracting as the story and characters got established. But around the one-third mark it really picked up and introduced more of the adventure elements that pulled the plot along, and I got sucked further in pretty quickly. It's a little more plot-driven than character-driven, which is different from some of the other speculative sci-fi type reads I've enjoyed, but was an interesting premise all the same!

All the Water in the World is told by a girl who is gifted with a feeling for water and this takes place in a flooded future. This drew me in by the cover and had me captivated from the beginning. The author wrote this so well and I was turning pages until the end. All of the characters were interesting and good in this one. Overall, this was the perfect science fiction and dystopian read that I highly enjoyed and would recommend to any reader who loves science fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this read in exchange of my honest review of All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall.

@macmillan.audio @stmartinspress | #gifted 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗, the debut novel from Eiren Caffall, is, as you might expect from its title, a story of climate change. Told by Nonie who together with her older sister, parents and a handful of others, had been surviving on the roof of The Museum of Natural History for quite some time. Rising waters emptied out much of the city, but they’d stayed put, trying to save much of the history contained within their “home.” It was a different life, a hard life, but it’s what they had. That was until the city’s flood walls gave and they were forced to flee.⁣
⁣
From there, the rest of the story follows their dangerous journey inland in search of the rural home Nonie’s mother grew up in. Nonie tells the story well, though her perspective sometimes felt a bit off for her age, at times too young and at other times too old. Never-the-less, narrator Eunice Wong was always easy to listen to.⁣
⁣
It’s hard not to compare this cli-fi book to others I’ve read in the last couple years, most recently 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 by Julia Armfield, and earlier 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 by Lily Brooks Dalton. I liked both those books a lot, especially the latter. For me, 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 wasn’t quite at their level, but was still a story I enjoyed and was always engaged with. The only real negative was that I never truly felt connected to any of the characters in this particular story. I’ll be curious to see what others think and still recommend that those who like climate fiction give this one a try. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫✨

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my copy of ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD.

I had a hard time with this book. It was violent, scary, sad and felt very real. This dystopian novel features things that are pretty likely to happen. I had a hard time getting through it and I do believe it was the timing of it that make it tricky. There's a lot going on right now with the fires in LA and no drinking water on the east coast. I needed an escape from that and this was not it.

I really enjoyed this one. Inspired by stories of curators in history who worked to preserve museum collections.
A group in post apocalyptic times has made their camp on top of a museum. But when the museum is no longer safe, they need to make a perilous trip hundreds of miles away. How to protect what is left in the world?

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

This is a tough book - there’s no way around that. Violence, lots of loss, gruesome details. This is certainly a dystopian future - but not an impossible one. It was not easy to read. I did appreciate the character development, even through the flashbacks. I think I would have appreciated an earlier start to the book - not being thrown in so abruptly. I thought it was very creative and would read this author again in the future.

Although the premise is interesting, I, unfortunately, found this dystopian read rather dry. I felt like it dragged on at times and didn't seem all that different from other dystopian books, tv shows and movies I've experienced. I commend the author for her writing style, but this just wasn't my cup of tea.

Reading this apocalyptic, climate chaos book felt especially eerie this week...It's a great read and I really liked seeing the new world through the eyes of a child. Our world today is mostly shared only in memories and it's equal parts fascinating and unsettling to see them through this new framework. While the ending felt a little rushed to me, overall I enjoyed this read. It manages to be hopeful about human resilience and community even in the face of horrors. It reminded me of Station Eleven in the best way!

This was beautiful and sad. The writing is very prose like, but the plot is not. It is filled with action, and constant dread. The fact that nature and humans alike are always after you. Have to be smart, resilient, and constantly on your toes. As told from a young girl's perspective, where life isn't fully understood yet, and one from a neurodivergent one too, it is that much more tense. She has heard the lessons, but can she understand certain dangers? I appreciated the ending,

This post-apocalypse novel was a wild ride. There was so much struggle to survive from one page to the next.

The narrator, Nonie (really Norah) takes us on a journey through water. Her sister, Bix, hates and fears water. Their mother, Deidre, tries to pour as much information and love into her daughters as she can. Other adults they come across try to do the same.

The extent of the destruction caused by the weather is hard to read about at times.

WOW. I have chills. I elected to start reading this the night the fires in LA began (completely coincidentally) and it was eerie to be reading a climate change sci fi novel at the same time I was quite literally watching the world burn. Caffall is an immensely talented writer, and prophetic to some extent as well. This certainly didn't feel like fiction! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This alarming read, follows one thirteen year old girl and her family, genetic and found, as she survives a dystopian world. I thought the wet and chaotic world the author created was realistic. It goes back and forth in a timeline to highlight how the world and the family got to the point that they did and while I found the timeline of events impractical ,this was an effective way to tell the story. I received a digital copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley.

Reading this book at the end of 2024 was perfectly in line with the year—a climate change inspired post-apocalyptic novel seemed right in line with everything else in my news feed. I must admit that the initial setting, inside and atop the Museum of Natural History, was the first of many compelling pieces to this moving story about love, loss and courage. The society that remains after water has upended everyone's lives is still riven across racial divides, despite other minor notes of progress. Caffall paints a picture of terrible collapse, but offers hope in the form of meaningful collaboration, mutual support, and the purpose-driven life. A good note to start off the new year, and a good reason to pick up this book.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for early access to this title in exchange for my honest opinion. It is a different genre from my usual reads, but I think it’s valuable to try new things, especially at the beginning of the year.
This dystopian novel is set in the not-too-distant-future, when NYC has been evacuated except for a small group of people who live on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. A superstorm hits, and Manhattan floods, and the few remaining people decide to leave, heading north to upstate New York. The story follows the young Nonie and a small crew, trying to survive. Water is all around them, but there is worry of contamination, and Nonie begins a water log, tracking the water for the future.
Nonie’s preoccupation with water may seem unusual, but I've had similar experiences when backpacking and need to plan my day around where and when I can access water. Having grown up in the greater NYC area, I enjoyed the descriptions of what remained on the Hudson River as Nonie and crew made their way up the Hudson - alongside the cliffs of the Palisades and up past West Point. However, I didn't really connect with the story, and I'm surprised it's not labeled as YA, considering the age of the main character.

I was drawn to this book based on the setting in NYC and description - it was truly thrilling! I was engaged in the story and message and recommend it to those interested in dystopian thrillers!

4.5 stars

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. 

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.