Climate change, coming of age, dystopian, racism, and probably a bunch of other things I've forgotten to highlight. All in this book! All nicely fit together in this book to create a whole universe that could possibly be our future. I loved the character development and warn that the author has no loyalty to his characters; all are subject to disease and death! I loved how the characters determined what was important to document for the future. The one thing I did question was how a bunch of separate groups without communication named things the same, like The World As It Was/Is, The Lost People, etc. Perhaps there was greater communication earlier in the crisis and they were established before the timeline of the book? This is a minor question in comparison with the huge issues at the play during the course of the book. I will be thinking about this one for awhile.

I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. I was drawn to the premise of this novel, as I enjoy post-apocalyptic themes, but I could not get into it. I tried several times to pick it up and continue reading, but I couldn’t connect with the story or the characters. The writing style is not my cup of tea, and I had to reread a few passages to understand what was happening. I know that others will enjoy this—it just wasn’t for me. I don’t think I am the intended audience for this book.

I was really excited to dive into this book after reading the synopsis and early reviews. It’s a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel about a group of survivors living on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, after the world is devastated by flooding caused by melting glaciers. When a superstorm forces them to leave their home, they journey north along the Hudson, encountering other communities along the way. Sounds intriguing, right? I thought so too. And while the author is clearly a talented storyteller because I thought her writing was beautiful, I couldn’t get past all of the missed opportunities throughout the book.⁠
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The beginning starts off quite slow. While I understand the value of building a world, much of the early narrative focuses on “the world as it was before” - something that, as someone currently living in that world, didn’t feel necessary. I would have preferred more focus on the unfolding climate disaster and the effects of the flooding and extreme weather that left the world in chaos, forcing groups like Nonie’s to adopt a survivalist mentality.⁠
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The pace does pick up around the 30% mark when the group is forced to leave their home, and I appreciated the small moments of action and the atmosphere of despair that Caffell built. However, it wasn’t enough to compensate for the overall lack of plot that continued. Additionally, as I read I also found myself wishing the author had delved deeper into how communities form and how roles are established in such a survival-driven setting. There was a lot of potential here to dive deeper into the psychology behind group dynamics and the emergence of pack mentality, but this was largely unexplored.⁠
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If you enjoy slow-burn stories where not much happens plot-wise, this might work for you. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, in the years after the glaciers melt, and New York City has become almost unrecognizable. They have created a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History., and forage & hunt in Central Park. When a hypercane breaches the flood walls of the city, they are forced to flee 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.

This post-apocalyptic tale sounded like it would be riveting and full of adventure, but instead, it was a slow burn for the entire book. I think I set my expectations too high. It wasn't necessarily a bad book, it just didn't have any of the excitement and adventure I was expecting. Overall, this is a solid 3 out of 5.

Loved it!

The language felt a touch stilted in the very beginning, but I sort of think that was the point - the simplicity matches the way young Nonie would write down her observations.

Caffall did a wonderful job building this partially submerged, always wanting for another big storm, World As It Is. The characters are distinguishable and interesting, the conflicts are as old as The World That Was, and the geography of the disaster, even though it stays within New England, mostly in New York and Massachusetts, felt all-encompassing.

I loved the special language and the games that the kids and adults living in the post-apocalyptic American Museum of Natural History develop. Love and loss are shown beautifully, and the ability to trust strangers and find a new family was very life-affirming. This was crucial because it is a scary book - The World As It Was is very much our world today, plus maybe 20-30 years and a few big hurricanes.

A great read!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. The book is out on January 7.

Told from the viewpoint of a young girl....the reader learns of the World As It Is. Rising waters destroying coastal cities, breakdown of govenment and a struggle for survival. A heartbreaking story of the strength of the human spirit.

I really wanted to love and the summary sounded so good but I DNF at 35%. I couldn’t resonate with the characters and formed no attachment. The story was dragging and felt wordy / repetitive. And at 35% in, I felt nothing actually moved the story forward.

📚🌊 ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD by Eiren Caffall 🌊📚
Genre: General Fiction/Science Fiction
Length: 304 pages
Pub Date: January 7, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated are solely my own.

Synopsis:
In the not-so-distant future, the glaciers have melted, much of the world is experiencing several climate issues, and NYC and other coastal cities are almost completely under water. Nonie, her older sister, Bix, and her parents are living on a rooftop settlement inside the American Mueseum of Natural History. They, along with other scientists, are working to preserve collections of history and science, while living off hunting and foraging.

When a super-sized hypercane hits, Nonie and a small group are forced to leave AMNH via small canoe and look for another place to settle and live. Along the way, they encounter other survivors, some of whom have hardened and will stop at nothing to gather supplies from other travelers.

Opinion:
I am always down for a good semi-dystopian story, but this one left a little to be desired. I think I was hoping for more action, and this was just too slow-paced for my liking. The idea was great, but I just didn't find myself fully invested in the characters, and FYI, a pack of dogs (who have returned to their more natural state), gets killed, which is always a no-no for me. I do think it was an interesting concept, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me personally.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall takes place in the future where all the climate-change warnings were ignored and the effects of that broke down an already stressed and over-taxed society.

With rising temperatures came the "Mosquito Borne" - a fever caused by the influx of year round warmth and mosquitoes causing the death of more people than wars. The rising temps also led to famine and water shortages. Then normal storms such as hurricanes became hypercanes, wiping out complete coastal areas allowing the ever rising ocean to eat up land. Because of these factors, people sought shelter high up, on building tops.

The story surrounds a small group of people sheltering on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (pronounced "Amen" in the audio book). The people include the main character Nonie, her sister and her parents and some scientists/researchers. The group wants to record and save what they can filling log books out for the future.

The story is told from Nonie's perspective which was powerful and unique. She has a strong connection to the water and can predict when storms are approaching - a useful trait to have in a world surrounded by water! The story also alternates from the past to the present, allowing readers to understand what the group has endured leading up to where the story starts.

The book has an obvious serious tone and one that makes you feel the stress and exhaustion of the characters. Numerous times I found myself picturing scenes from The Walking Dead while I was reading this... without the zombies, of course! But similar to the TV show, families are formed by the people you learn to trust and rely on; people do things they never would have done in a civilized world to get the resources and supplies they need for themselves or their group; and sadly, true family members and group members die during the journey to find higher group.

This was a four star read for me and one I think many, many people will love! It is scheduled to publish January 7th so if this sounds right up your alley, I recommend pre-ordering a copy now!

🌊🌪Good, important theme, but slow🤔

3.5-4 stars
I had a dilemma rating this read. The overarching message about the collapse of civilization as we know it due to extreme weather and sea rise, and what the resulting world could become, really got me thinking. The world Nonie inhabits in a water- and disease-ravaged future is dark, survivalist, and seems almost devoid of hope. A situation devoutly to be avoided, yet all too possible. I liked the way the story is told through young NYC resident Nonie and her family, friends and individuals she meets along the way when disastrous weather finally pushes them out of New York City on a quest for a haven in rural Upstate New York. The young adolescent's grief, confusion and fear are potent reminders that family and friendships, no matter how strong, can be fragile as well. Nonie's thoughts of young Mano and her mother are especially moving as she copes with her swiftly-changing world and the destruction all around her.

But several things drew the story down for me. All the talk of cataloging museum exhibits, sea life species and scientific details just hit me as too much. And, while the move back and forth from Nonie's present to her earlier life at AMEN, the community they created on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, was fine in the first part of the book, I did not appreciate the present to past shifts as much as the trek through New York gained momentum and got more exciting. I felt the flashbacks, to some degree, held the story back at this point.

Am I glad I read this work? Yes, because this scenario or something like it needs to be contemplated, not brushed aside. I just wish the telling had been tighter and more focused on the action.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Wow.

The story was riddled with despair, disaster, disease, and pain but there was hope threaded through all of it. I would like to see a prequel - in the beginning Nonie and her people were living in what used to be NYC, in what used to be the Museum of Natural History. They took care to guard the remaining artifacts so that future generations would have this record and knowledge about the past. After listening, I read that this story takes in part from the stories of curators working to protect their history during war. Except in the book, it’s a war against nature, humanity, and ourselves.

Nonie was wise for her years and I liked her as a narrator of this novel. Her perspective was clear and cut through the layers to see what really is. No surprise that she has the ability to sense water and understand water activity. Without giving too much away, the ending was beautiful and by far my favorite part of the novel.

I liked the narrator because she gave a sharper sense of who the characters really were by how she voiced them. I liked the author’s style, dreamlike yet anchored in the darkest of realities. This is the type of work that will stick with me long after reading. I’ll go back to bits and pieces of the story and puzzle over them in my head. This book evoked feelings in me. Sometimes you read a book and it’s a good distraction. Sometimes you read a book and it blows your mind. This is a book that blows your mind.

I tried to get into this book but it unfortunately kept losing :( I thought the concept sounded promising but I just wasn’t hooked & couldn’t finish it.

Told from the point of view of a young girl, Nonie, this book is set in the aftermath of extreme climate change. The glaciers have melted, and the water levels have risen to flood out cities like New York. Nonie and her family live on the roof of the New York Natural history Museum, trying to save the exhibits from the floods.
When another flood breaks through the city flood barriers, Nonie and her family escape to the north, meeting other communities of survivors along the way, and running into danger at several turns.

The book made me think of all the things that we take for granted in our modern world, as Nonie and her family struggle to find food, clean drinking water, medicines etc. They fear water, as it contains hidden dangers, from creatures to branches and submerged buildings that will tear at their canoe, to bacteria and viruses that could prove deadly.

I must say that the book felt long and drawn out in the middle - I realized I wanted the survivors to get to where they needed to be, when in fact the journey was the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this wonderful book by Eiren Caffall, with the audiobook gorgeously narrated by Eunice Wong. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 stars!

This book is set in the near future, when climate change has devastated the world. Nonie and her older sister, their parents and fellow researchers have taken refuge on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. They hunt and grow food in Central Park and only scavage the exhibits if necessary. When a hypercane (a huge superstorm) breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape on the Hudson River, determined to find a new world to honor what they’ve saved.

I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with dystopian/apocalyptic stories, but the writing in this book, and the audiobook narration, made it perfection. Told from Nonie’s point of view in the present, along with flashbacks letting the reader know what it was like before, this is an adventure story, a cautionary tale, and will make you think about what’s important to keep. While the subject matter is fightening in its potential reality, the book is filled with hope, with community and people trying to help. The writing was so beautiful, almost poetic, with lines to make you think, such as, “You never know in the darkness, who’s holding the light;” and “A building is just a body through which you live a life. What mattered was the people we found and lost.” I listened to the audiobook while reading, and the narrator’s voice was so haunting that it added layers to the story. Highly recommended!

The premise was so intriguing--I wanted to love this! Unfortunately I just could not connect with the writing of the characters. Too serious, and too distant. Sadly this one was a miss for me.

One of the best dystopian type climate change books I have read. Scary but oh so real. A must read, really.

This one is heartbreaking and horrifying, and it was so well done. It reminded me of Station Eleven, but it also has shades of Parable of the Sower in how it tackles survival and resilience.

Nonie is such a sympathetic main character, and her voice really carried the story for me. The flashbacks were seamless and added depth—they never felt like interruptions but instead enriched what was happening in the present.

I also appreciated how the book didn’t sugarcoat anything. The dangers of a flooded world and the breakdown of authority are portrayed in a way that feels terrifyingly plausible. At the same time, the group’s dedication to preserving knowledge and finding a purpose beyond survival kept the story from being too bleak.

This is one of the best cli-fi books I’ve read in a while. It’s not just about the big, apocalyptic changes but also the small, human moments of connection and perseverance. It’s definitely a heavy read, but there’s just enough hope to make it feel worth it. A solid five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press!

"Greed and hope aren't opposites. Greed and hope are twins grabbing for the same thing, one in fear and one in faith." Keep in mind that this is written before the final publication of the book but that quote grabbed ahold of me and pulled me along in a sense of wonder.

Nonie is born into a world that is radically changed by climate changed. Born in an apartment and then moved as a small girl to grow up in the American Museum of Natural History, or on its roof. The reader meet Nonie as a young teenager, when she and her family have to flee a hypercane, the supercharged hurricane the breaches the city's flood walls. As they travel north toward the farm where her mother grew up, Nonie reflects on events in her and there is a strong sense of adventure.

A strong dystopian novel that will engage readers of all types, All the Water in the World is a must read for everyone. It is not a YA novel but could still be added to the library of a high school. It is a must for public libraries and home collections.

This book will haunt me for years to come. I have a book hangover and feel bad for whatever I read after this. I finished the entire book in one day, unable to stop.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the DRC! All opinions are my own!

Nonie, her sister Bix and their parents have been living on the roof of the Natural History Museum in what was once known as New York City. They’re holed up there with some other survivors and have been cataloguing and storing the museums holdings as best they can, hoping for a better future world where people will once again be able to look upon and study these relics of the past. Nonie has a special ability. She’s like a human barometer and can sense approaching storms. This time around though her ability to feel the coming danger has failed her and what remains of the city is walloped by a Supercane. The floodgates have finally failed and the once great city is inundated with water. Water that isn’t safe, water that kills. With only enough time to grab their go bags and an old Native American canoe, Nonie, Bix, their father and family friend Keller barely escape and are headed up the Hudson in hopes of reaching the family farm in the upstate.
In this debut dystopian novel we’re presented with a terrible future. A future filled with danger. Danger from super storms, danger from starvation and disease, danger from our fellow humans. You’re in a constant battle for survival. It’s a scary, scary world. The scariest part for me is that I can totally picture it coming true. It’s an exciting read with danger lurking around every bend of the river for the little group of intrepid travelers. They meet some bad actors on their journey, but it gives one hope for the future to find there are still people out there trying to do the right thing. 4.5 stars

This story takes place is set in New York City in a future that has been flooded by the glaciers melting. There is disease, chaos and lot of fighting just to stay alive. The focus is on relationships and family and we get to see two sisters fighting to stay together and stay alive. The thing that really drew me in is how real the sister's feel and how you see them grow and face their fears. I did struggle with the toggling back and forth between the present and the past and felt that if this wasn't as confusing I would have rated this a five star book.