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

50/1o0 or 2.50 stars

I was excited about this story after reading the synopsis, as these types of books are my comfort read...which might sound odd, but Dystopian books usually hook me in quickly. That was not the case for this one, which was disappointing. I gathered quickly that the writing style within the story was not working for me. I wouldn't cross off this author overall, as perhaps this book just wasn't working and maybe another book by Caffall will work for me. I did my best to get as far as I could, but I did have to DNF at 11%. Hopefully I can try another by this author and enjoy it, because I always feel bad about not finishing books by lesser known authors, but I need to be honest with my reivew, so that is why I am giving it the 2.5 stars I am, as even if I did finish the book, I would have to take off points for the writing style.

Finding that I have enjoyed many post-apocalyptic stories previously, I was taken by the premise of one that results from rising sea levels. Yet in All the Water in the World, the impacts of the ocean displacing much of the novel's world - or at least the world as the characters know it, i.e., NYC - are not as intricately explored as I would have hoped. Beyond the obvious damage to existing infrastructures, increased water-borne and mosquito-borne illnesses, and lack of access to clean, potable water, the characters do not experience much else of being surrounded by floodwater. In fact, not much happens at all in this novel. It is damp, dark, and uninteresting for huge portions of it. Caffall spends more time telling than showing, describing the world - both as it was and as it is - through Nonie's scientific and rigid eyes rather than natural observation. There should have been more emphasis on the biases and mental models ingrained in the novel's characters due to the shifts they are forced to make, the differences between the two worlds implied in how they contrast with how the reader may respond in a similar situation given their inexperience. Even if this wasn't a very plot-driven book, it certainly wasn't character-driven. Each character did not feel like a real person: the main ensemble was generally stale and defined by their one-dimensional relationships while the minor characters just moved the story along. Dialogue serves more to explain the world than to create the atmosphere or understand the relationships between characters. Overall, it is messy and needs to be tightened way more.

All the Water in the World is an intense, post-apocalyptic novel from the perspective of Nonie, a young girl who can sense water.

The premise reminded me a bit of Sweet Tooth—in a world reshaped by climate change, a small family-like community must find safety beyond the place that has been their home and refuge for years. I was intrigued by the main characters having made their sanctuary atop the American Museum of Natural History, but I wish their lifestyle had been less passively recounted. There was a lot of reflection on Nonie’s part on her intellectual yet haphazard upbringing, but it still felt distant, muddled with recent deaths and impending catastrophes.

The author’s language is undoubtedly beautiful and fluid, much like the water that pervades the survivors’ day-to-day lives, but it felt repetitive. The constant sense of doom, although mediated by Nonie’s more tender memories, interfered with my connections to other characters, like Keller and Mary. I also wanted more hints as to the structure (or lack thereof) of the “Lost” and other survivor communities—I understand that Nonie may not have been aware of this information due to her age and isolation, but it seemed like such a critical element of their world.

Although I admire the author’s language, I think All the Water in the World could have been punchier, and I think Nonie’s coming-of-age could have been more prominent, especially regarding her special ability.

Nonie narrates this propulsive apocalyptic coming of age story that sees her fleeing New York Ciry with her father, sister Bix and family friend Keller after a hypercane destroys what's left of their home at the Museum of Natural History and then the city itself. This is chaotic at first (I had trouble figuring out the ups and downs) but that fits given what was happening although it didn't allow for character development or back story early on- these are parceled out over the length of the novel, which jumps around in time. It was a clever conceit to use the Museum and that the journey out of the city led the four to the Cloisters and then further up the Hudson. Who can they trust? Not everyone trusts them either. You will feel the water, the toxic standing water, the pouring rain. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is harrowing and unsettling.

All The Water In The World follows along the lines of dystopian novels like Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower, where climate change and government failure has led to a breakdown in society. First, the characters are staying in a heavily protected place, in this case a natural history museum, while the world collapses outside. Then, they are forced to leave, and the reader follows their journey towards safety and a new home.

This story is told from the perspective of a tween girl, someone who does not remember anything from the time before the collapse. What she had gone through already and what she faced over the course of the book - wow. And yet, we find hope over and over again.

I was a little scared, going into this novel, to read about a world destroyed by climate change, as that seems like such a real threat now. This author, however, paced the novel in such a way that we not drown in the tragedy and find resilience and real hope throughout. I wanted to know what would happen and kept turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Post-apocalytic literature feels heavier than ever these days, so it was refreshing to read a slightly more hopeful take on the end of the world, focused on a group of survivors seeking to preserve the New York Museum of Natural History. I enjoyed the contrast between the past (told in flashbacks) an the present, and particularly the attention paid to the different aspects of daily life we take for granted. The prose with gorgeous and thoughtful, if melancholy. The survival scenes were harrowing and a bit hard to read sometimes, lending the book more of a thriller tone at times than I was expecting. Despite this, several sections of the book dragged and prevented me from recommending it at a higher star level.

A story of survival and a desire to save the collective past. The world has been waterlogged by the glaciers melting leaving Nonie and her family living atop the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The family and other researchers who have joined them work not only to survive this new landscape, but also to preserve the knowledge stored in the museum below them.

A superstorm causes Nonie, her family, and their friends to flee the city. They face new challenges to their survival in a harsh world. They attempt to find a safe place not only to live, but to find a new home for the knowledge they brought with them.

I enjoyed this book overall and felt it lagged in some places. It started strong and then slowed down in places due to the amount of detail in some parts of the story. Of course, I could very well complain about the lack of detail if it wasn’t there!

This is an interesting book with a unique story that reflects not only our drive to survive, but also to ensure the past survives with us.

I have a fascination with climate fiction so this literary science fiction novel was right up my alley. It was interesting, slow and contemplative. I liked so many aspects yet I actually felt a touch disappointed since this one never reached the five star potential the plot had. I wish this one had a bit harder with a punchier story. I liked it but I found it's message a bit soft.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

All the Water in the World is a post-apocalyptic novel set in a near future where the world’s oceans have risen so much because of climate change that many places once coastal are now underwater. Nonie, our protagonist, is a young girl who doesn’t remember to much of the world as it was as she was very young, and only knows her home on top of the Museum of Natural History.

New York City is saved from the superstorms by retaining walls built by the government to protect the historied part of the country. The small community on top of the museum is made up mostly of former employees and their families who continue to document life while trying to survive. They farm in nearby Central Park and only take from exhibits in the museum when in dire need.

Like any good disaster story, change is inevitable, and Nonie and her community are forced out by a hypercane and must journey to higher ground. Humanity’s instinctual behavior is on full display and Nonie and others journey by boat to safety.

This novel is more character driven, and because of that the cadence of the story is slower despite all the dangers Nonie faces. I appreciate this as it delves a little deeper into a community’s behavior and motivations and is less reactive. For those who are fans of post-apocalyptic/dystopian stories, and don’t mind a slow burn, add this one to your list.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and of course the author Eiren Caffall for the advanced copy of the book. All the Water in the World is out on January 7th! All opinions are my own.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley. I was interested in this book because I loved The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks Dalton. It had a similar premise.

But I should have taken into account the suggestion that this is recommended for anyone who loved Station Eleven. I could not get into that book and abandoned it pretty quickly. it is a beloved novel so potentially this could become one also despite my opinion. Unlike The Light Pirate I could not immerse myself in the story or feel any depth in the characters. I was not able to suspend belief and ‘see myself’ in this apocalyptic future. And that is really what I am looking for in this sort of novel.

Eiren Caffall takes us on an emotional journey thru the eyes of Nonie a girl who has grown up in a world covered in water but has never been allowed to swim or explore that water. This is a world of melting glaciers and severe weather. A world of survival. Caffall makes us explore the what if, a world of survival and resilience in a time of true desperation.Nonie and her family some biological and others chosen due to the state of the world adapt to a new reality in an unlikely home the American Muesum of Natural History.
I couldn’t put this book down, riveted by how they survived and would continue to thrive and what would their future hold.
A must read!

This story weaves together a story of The World As It Was and The World As It Is. A family trying to survive the world after a climate change apocalypse. I really enjoyed this book!

#NetGalley

I loved this book. It’s not a rollicking action adventure apocalyptic tale but one that dives deeper into human nature — and with plenty of action along the way.

Nonie is a unique narrator, and her way of speech is moving and poetic. At one point during a storm, she says “the world inhaled”, and I felt that and physically braced myself die the destruction that came with the exhale.

This phrase will also stick with me for awhile: “But greed like that didn't start out bad. What alters wanting is what's behind it. Greed and hope aren't opposites. Greed and hope are twins grabbing for the same thing, one in fear and one in faith.”

This is the sort of book that makes me wish I were a writer.

All the Water in the World is an apocalyptic novel told through the viewpoint of Nonie, a 13 year old girl. Nonie and her family live on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH or Amen, as they call it) in the aftermath of massive flooding due to climate change. The world is forever changed by storms and flooding and Nonie and her family and friends are trying to survive. This novel is hauntingly beautiful and I would definitely recommend picking it up when it’s published on 1/7/25. #bookstagram #netgalley