All the Water in the World is a beautifully crafted, poignant story that blends elements of post-apocalyptic survival with a profound meditation on humanity's relationship with history, knowledge, and the natural world. Told through the voice of Nonie, a young girl deeply attuned to water, this novel immerses readers in a vividly imagined near-future where rising seas have transformed life in New York City.

The strength of this book lies in its evocative world-building and the intimate portrayal of Nonie's family as they navigate survival on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule to take from the exhibits only in dire need adds a haunting layer to their efforts to preserve human history amidst climate collapse. The narrative truly shines when Nonie and her family are forced to flee up the Hudson, encountering diverse and sometimes unsettling communities along the way.

Inspired by real-life stories of curators preserving cultural treasures during wartime, All the Water in the World offers both gripping adventure and thought-provoking reflection. The journey is fraught with danger and heartbreak, but it is also suffused with hope—the hope that love, knowledge, and community can endure even in the face of catastrophe.

While the pacing occasionally drags in slower, reflective moments, the book's emotional depth and timely themes make it a compelling read. Fans of Parable of the Sower or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will appreciate its blend of survivalist tension and a reverence for humanity's legacy.

A stirring and memorable tale, this book leaves you pondering what is truly worth saving when the world begins to fall apart.

Timely, poignant, and ultimately hopeful, the novel follows Nonie, her sister Bix, her dad, and their friend Keller as they leave their safe house at what was once the American Museum of Natural History. The World as It Was is no more thanks to dramatic climate crises including tsunamis, hypercanes, droughts, wildfires, and storms. Manhattan is now part of the New Sea and the family needs shelter. The narrative alternates between their real-time journey north and flashbacks of the family's deceased members like Nonie and Bix's mom, Bix's first love Mano, and Keller's partner Angel. The pace is exciting, the descriptions cinematic.

What did I read! No this was horrible sorry. It just didn’t seem like it was realistic

Thanks NetGalley for the adc

*4+ stars. As someone who has lived through two floods, this post-apocalyptic scenario would be my worst nightmare. The plot: The polar ice caps have melted, flooding all the coastal regions of the world and creating chaos. Nonie, the young girl narrating this story, is part of a family of scientists who are now amongst others living inside the American Museum of Natural History. That is until a 'hypercane' destroys the rest of the building and four survivors escape in a birchbark canoe.

The story is well told, with flashbacks to 'before.' Nonie is a terrific character--smart and brave. If anyone can survive this, she will. Believe me, you will be totally immersed (pun intended) in this novel. I read most of it in one sitting. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley for a voluntary review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin'sPress, and Eiren Caffall for the ARC of this thought provoking book. The storyline, world building and conflict were solid, and the voice actor did a good job narrating.

This story gave me "Water World" prequel vibes, like this is the start of the world sinking and these people are attempting to hold on to humanity as best they can. Medical practices are crude, the government has fallen, segregation has reappeared, and tribes are formed for the purpose of survival.

The cover art for this book is perfect! As I tandem read and listened to this book I would occasionally glance at the cover art and shake my head in agreeance. The writing was descriptive enough for me to visualize every scene and that is always a win for me.

I could not put this book down, when I was able to sit and devote time to read it, I did, When I did housework and ran errands, I listened.

There were parts that sounded a lot like news reports of today. If we are not careful and pay attention to the ever changing weather patterns and the severity of them, our future could easily look like the world depicted in All The Water In The World.

I am leaving this honest review voluntarily and without coercion.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world destroyed by climate change, All the Water in the World, is about a family struggling to not only survive but also to preserve as many artifacts and the knowledge in the Museum of Natural History in New York City as possible. Living on the roof of the museum with others, they know the water will continue to rise and they will have to leave eventually. But the group tries to eke out a living from their garden in Central Park and what can be scavenged and hunted. Disease is rampant among the survivors and medications are few.

The group's numbers have decreased to only Noni, her sister, her father, and one friend/co-worker when the mega-storm hits and they are forced to flee in an old Native American canoe they've tried to prepare for the journey. While they find some help and survivors along the way, there are also perils from the weather, the wildlife, and other survivors. When the girls' father is killed, they continue on, trying to get to the family's farm inland, It isn't an easy journey and Noni valiantly tries to protect the catalog of information about the materials they all tried to save and the knowledge they don't want lost.

It's a thoughtful look at frightening possibilities for the future, further fractures of society, and how people might cope. Author Eiren Caffall, inspired by curators of museums decimated by war in Iraq and other locations, has chosen a focus topic that not many consider--saving history. Narrator Eunice Wong authentically voices Noni, the main character.

Recommended for those who like Brin's The Postman or even Pfeffer's Life as We Knew It--possible apocalypse-possible fiction, if we want to invent a new genre.

Eerie near future story about a family that lives as keepers of the old knowledge in one of the old. New York museums, and the storyms that finally cause them to uproot themselves and try to make their way out of the slowly crumbling city. I like that Caffall decides to center this from the POV of a child, but you can still tell that thought has gone into how the adults around them react. Comes out this winter, and if you like escape tales combined with how knowledge is passed on in apocalypse, definitely preorder this.

Wow! While there are a lot of novels out there about post-apocalyptic life, I don’t think I’ve ever read one like this! I really loved All the Water in the World! The characters are interesting and complex-I found myself really invested in their journey and what was going to happen to them.

This book is both hopeful and sad- as loss inevitably happens, the characters are forever changed, but life (much like in the real world) has to carry on, and I think this was a really realistic portrayal of that. Even the apocalypse seems like something that could happen-rising seas and superstorms flooding coastal cities. However, the plot line was less about the apocalypse itself and more about the bonds between loved ones and how they navigate incredibly difficult situations. This was my last read of 2024, and I’m so happy it was such a good one! I highly recommend this book!

Absolutely beautiful distopian novel. Hope in a world of dispair. I couldn’t put this one down. I had to see what happened next and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect ending.

This book reminds me of an Emily St John Mandel novel. The writing is very passive a lot of the time so I’m not sure that all readers will enjoy it or feel immersed in the events. As other readers have noted, I was initially expecting something more like the day after tomorrow with people finding some sort of hope or light with a library or historical setting. There were moments of deep reflection, and a lot of excellent philosophical questions were posed by the characters, but the writing and pacing will certainly prove to be a barrier for some readers. I do think this type of literature is necessary in libraries and many patrons will be drawn in by the synopsis.. I am not sure exactly who I will recommend this book to, but perhaps readers who are patient looking for something related to climate change and questioning humanity.

What matters most must be saved

When the world is forever altered by climate change, how do people survive? In this intriguing novel, the glaciers have melted and cities are mostly uninhabitable and deserted. A young girl named Nonie and her family however stayed behind in New York City and together with her parents' researcher friends have created a settlement atop the American Museum of Natural History. Their lives then involved gathering food from nearby Central Park and doing everything they could to preserve the many treasures and collections within the museum which document human history before things changed. But another storm has arrived and the family escapes north on the Hudson River towards (they hope) safety, carrying with them the book that is their record of the collections they had to leave behind, lost now forever. They meet people along the way who have created their own communities, have chosen their own priorities and ways to survive. When mankind goes up against nature survival is not guaranteed...can they persevere and still maintain their humanity?
At times a post-apocalyptic survival story laced with philosophical and moral conundrums, in All the Water in the World the reader finds adventure, family bonds, the importance of remembering the past and a determination to survive from the point of view of Nonie, a girl who is wired differently than many but is acutely attuned to water. With beautiful writing and memorable characters, author Eiren Caffall has created an intriguing tale that grips the reader's mind and spirit as they accompany Nonie and family on the journey to survive not only the onslaught of nature but also the temptation to let go of civility and compassion in the face of destruction. As I read my thoughts turned to books by Cormac McCarthy, Emily St John and Tom Rob Smith, so those who have enjoyed similar authors may want to give this novel a try. Is mankind headed towards the devastation depicted here? I certainly hope not....but if we are, I hope that there will be among those who live in that time people who work to preserve all that has come before them even as they struggle to survive. My thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me access to this thought-provoking work in exchange for my honest review.

After reading the description of this book, I was very interested in reading it. The concept of what our future can hold with climate change happening all around us and all the major weather events that have occurred more frequently. The writing was just not what I was expecting, I was thinking more along the lines of The Day After Tomorrow sort of story. I tried to push through in hopes of the story finally hooking me, but I only made it to Chapter 14, 14% of the book. I will definitely try to read this at another time and see if I have a change of heart. I sure the way this book was written will draw some people in, but it just did not do it for me at this time.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this eARC for my honest review.

All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they've saved.

Inspired by the stories of the curators in Iraq and Leningrad who worked to protect their collections from war, All the Water in the World is both a meditation on what we save from collapse and an adventure story—with danger, storms, and a fight for survival.

I had really high expectations with this one. I love the premise. I enjoyed it, but it was a little slow-paced for me. I really enjoy Caffall's writing, but the climate change narrative felt heavy-handed. I think dystopian stories are less appealing to me recently just because so much of the world is in chaos, my brain wants to escape that. Overall, I enjoyed this one, but I'd be selective about who I recommend it to. 4⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

This dystopian climate disaster novel follows the life of Nonie, a 13yo girl living on the roof of the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Told from multiple timelines, we learn how Nonie and her family were forced by rising sea levels and hypercanes to abandon their home and become keepers of artifacts and history records. As the climate crisis worsens, Nonie, sister Bix, father Allan, and community member Keller, are forced to flee the city. Headed for their late mother's farmhouse, Nonie & crew encounter a number of climate refugees who have adapted to their situation in vastly different ways than they are accustomed. Their journey is riddled with obstacles, difficult moments, and tragedy, despite Nonie's gift of sensing incoming storms. A dark look into how humans adapt in the face of disaster, and how easily humanity can be lost.

Let me start out by saying this book is goooooooood. I would have rated it higher than 3.5 stars, but I found myself wanting more at various points. For example, the story is told by Nonie, who has very little recollection of life before -- I would have loved more background. Specifically, how did she develop her sense of storms? Is there a family history there? All the details; I truly need an origin story, basically, for Nonie (and more on Sallie Ride + beyond). I also wanted more background on other characters, like Mary and Darling. Inexplicably, it is a bit of a slow burn but also so suspenseful that you don't want to put it down. I read it in one day, both wanting to get through the trauma as quickly as possible and also needing resolution for this family.

Full of tension and doom, with a little bit of hope sprinkled in, this book is a must-read for anyone who used to watch It Could Happen Tomorrow on the Weather Channel.

Content Warning: Sexual assault, death, displacement.

This dystopian climate fiction thriller is beautifully written. The story is told from the unique POV of a 13 year old girl, Nonie, using flashbacks to her childhood living in a refugee encampment on the roof of a Natural History Museum in a flooded NYC to her present day harrowing trek out of the city, up the Hudson to potential safe farmstead. With description imagery, haunting emotion, and pulse-pounding danger, this story is one I will remember for a long time. Readers who enjoy slower paced stories and are interested in how climate crises impact relationships, communities, and humanity will enjoy this story. Ensure that you check content warnings, as there is on page violence, death, and traumatic experiences.

#allthewaterintheworld comes out Jan. 7; thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the chance to read it a little early!

This story begins in a New York City that has been swallowed by storms. Nonie, along with her father and sister, are living with a group of people in the former American Museum of Natural History. Instead of fleeing, they stayed behind to protect the museum. But now a hypercane has arrived and they can no longer stay. They decide to journey up the Hudson to a family farm.

The story alternates between the present and scattered memories of the past. It took me a little bit to get adjusted to the format, but it was a beautiful way to tell the story, allowing us to see glimpses of the loved ones who didn’t make it. Through these flashbacks we also see life in this abandoned museum, which was so fascinating. And what I really loved was their journey up the Hudson was recognizing the landmarks and towns along the way.

There’s a very definitive midpoint in this book, and at that point the book really shifted for me, and became more plot-focused. Before, it was the characters’ interactions with their environment, and now it’s their interactions with other people - And it was here, during this story of survival for this family and the people they encounter on their way, that this book really grabbed my heart.

Thank you to Eiren Caffall, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of All the Water in the World. All opinions are my own.

As a big fan of dystopian novels and movies set in a post-apocalyptic weather scape (2012, The Day After Tomorrow, etc), I found the premise of ATWITW super interesting and was excited to read it. Unfortunately, it was just a solid “meh” and not anything more special. The writing wavered between far more pretentious than a 13 year old (the narrator) would sound and repetitive, relying more on long-winded metaphors rather than new and interesting language. The time jumps backwards were also a bit sudden and not done in a super coherent manner.

I enjoyed the emotions and relationships between the characters and the journey. But disliked mostly everything else.

POV: single first person

You can expect: dystopian, family and found family, journey, storm.

Rep: autistic-coded narrator, kidney disease (side character)

CW: attempted rape, death, violence, death of a parent, murder

I could not put this book down. I absolutely loved Nonie's story. It was thought provoking and heart wrenching.

The story follows Nonie, along with her father, sister, and friend as they must abandon their makeshift home atop the AMNH, which they have been living in and on since a major climate disaster that happened when Nonie was a small child, to try and make their way to a family farm in Massachusetts.

Readers quickly learn that Nonie has a special awareness that allows her to know when storms and water related weather are about to happen. We also learn that she is incredibly intelligent, with an almost hyperfocus on animals and the climate.

The story is skillfully written alternating between the past and the present, and explores the relationships between humanity and the earth, with each other, and what can happen should the world vastly change. There are times when the plot stalls a tiny bit, but it almost reflects the calm between the storms that the characters face as they seek refuge and seek to rebuild some form of normalcy in the face of hardship and heartbreak.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

All the Water in the World is beautifully written, and I found the main character, Nonie, very compelling. Other aspects of the story, like the flashback chapters, didn't work quite as well for me. I also wish we got to know more about Nonie's gift for sensing storms and what her life when she left the farm would look like.

This book had a lot of similarities to The Light Pirate, which I read about a month ago, and it was hard for me to not have comparisons in the back of my head. I may have enjoyed this more had I not read The Light Pirate so recently.

4 5/5
I love dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. Not only because the vehicle of disaster is intriguing, but I am genuinely fascinated by the theories of how humans will react.

All the Water in the World has quickly moved to my list of favorite dystopian fiction. Part climate change, part thriller, Eiren Caffall has crafted a story of survival and a tale of how we honor those we lost while still forging ahead.

As a museum-goer, I love that part of this story takes place in a natural history museum. I love taking note of what we as humans determine is important enough to save, and I never considered the usefulness of this information in a post-apocalyptic situation.

With many topics for discussion, All the Water in the World would be a perfect book club selection!

Read this if you like:
~ dystopian fiction
~ multiple timelines
~ climate fiction