Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing May 13th!

This is a quiet, thoughtful novel that follows Bo, a woman living in a future San Francisco that is slowly being swallowed by water, and her caretaking of Mia, an elderly neighbor who lives in her apartment building. There are some futuristic cli-fi elements to this, but it's mostly a human story with a more narrow focus about the characters and their relationships and less about what's happening in the wider world due to climate change. Both our main characters are well developed-Bo can be a bit frustrating at times, but it feels realistic given what we know about her character. Since Bo is an artist and a main portion of the story involves her creating a new art piece, there's a LOT of information on different artistic techniques and mediums, which could be interesting but I sometimes found went on a bit too long and lost my attention. Lots of thematic content in here around memory, place, etc. as well. The ending worked very well for me and I enjoyed the writing style throughout. I feel like this book has been getting a lot of buzz and I don't know that it quite lived up to the hype for me, but I still enjoyed it!

Rounding up from 3.75.

This book was a beautifully written debut. It was not at all what I was expecting. I went into it thinking it was going to be more dystopian and cli-fi, but it ended up feeling more like a lit-fic or fictional memoir, and focusing on people, human relationships, and family. You aren’t told much background on the world you’re thrown into - this story is more about the characters. The relationship between Bo and Mia was artfully crafted, and the ending was absolutely beautiful.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan is a third person-POV literary climate fiction exploring the past and the near future. Bo is an artist who hasn’t been able to continue her art since her mother was swept away during a flood. When Mia, an elderly woman who lives in the same building, slips a note under Bo’s door, the two start a friendship as Bo becomes her caretaker. Through Mia, Bo starts to understand more about the past and her mother.

One of the things I really liked was how Bo’s POV reads like an artist’s POV. She mentions colors and shapes and we get deep in her head as she works on a mixed media project. Even when she’s blocked and deep in her grief, her art is still a part of who she is. This goes even further when she reflects on the guilt she feels for all the money her parents spent on her art lessons when everyone else was focusing on STEM as the droughts, floods, and famines became more common. Bo knows art is important, but the rest of the world isn’t as focused on it as everything shifts and changes regularly.

The climate fiction aspects felt quite realistic to me. Librarians, for instance, have had their jobs massively expanded, including documenting the spreads of epidemics and other medical responsibilities that should be held by nurses or the CDC. I fully believe that libraries, one of the most important public resources that we have in society, would become a hub for basically everything if access to other resources became scarce. There’s also cricket flour for baking and the diaspora returning to China as the US continues to go downhill.

Chapters focused more on Mia go into detail about China's more recent history, such as the Japanese occupation and arranged marriages. Mia herself was arranged at fourteen to marry a Chinese-American man who had no interest in being her husband. It was after the war when she found him again and demanded he take her back to America, giving a new life for her and their future child when Mia felt there was nothing left for her back home. Mia is a very strong character who is fiercely independent, making a good friend for the lost and grieving Bo.

I would recommend this to fans of climate fiction looking for a more literary work and readers who love books that explore both the past and the near future

This is a meditative post-apocalyptic(ish) book set in a futuristic version of San Francisco. I found the setting quite interesting in the sense that it bridges both the past century and the future, so it actually felt very present in a sense. There is also an overarching contrast between the urgency of the situation and the main characters' insistence in staying put.

I read some critiques that the story is too slow moving and that there's a lack of sci-fi elements but I think that the book has been marketed appropriately based on the description. You'll probably enjoy it if you like stories about complicated platonic relationships between women and exploring Chinese-American identity.

Thank you for the opportunity to review, and to the publisher for providing physical and electronic ARCs of this book.

Now THIS is a debut. Awake in the Floating City is the story of two of the last living people in a very flooded San Francisco in a future I hope never arrives. Bo is an artist that has stayed behind despite opportunities to escape like everyone else did. She has a small sliver of hope that her mom may also be alive, but reluctantly agrees to leave the floating city soon. A note is slipped under her door by a 130 year old mom, Mia, asking Bo to be her caregiver as her health declines. The pair spend time together and Bo is finally inspired to make art again.

As I wrote that plot set up, this sounds corny and predictable and maybe something we've read before. But...no. It's beautiful, and reflective, and answers the questions of what does it mean to honor a dying person, to honor a disappearing world in an ending that took my breath away. This isn't a spoiler, but Bo works to showcase the reaches of Mia's life in a profound way.

It's not perfect. It drags a bit, and if you are looking for any sort of world building or explanation on why there is a 130 year old in a floating city, you won't get it. It's simple, but wow is it good. I loved this exploration of legacy and love letter to care givers and art. May we all get to know our impact and reflect on our lives in the ways showcased here. Fans of Station Eleven should absolutely run for this one when it publishes on May 13th. Thank you to @pantheonbooks for the egalley.

A remarkable debut novel. It should appeal to a wide range of readers, and while it is technically science fiction, it might be marketed as literary fiction. A more personal story beyond the climate disasters depicted, focusing on Bo, a 40-something Chinese-American woman clinging to the past in the only place she has ever lived, the flood ravaged San Francisco. Highly recommended.

Quite an interesting look at a dystopian novel. It had more character development than what I was anticipating and really connected with the story line.

I enjoyed the beginning of Awake in the Floating City. I thought the book was more dystopian as the setting was a flooded city where the remaining people lived in sky high apartments and had outdoor markets on the roof tops. The adventure side of the story dissipates and it becomes more of a memoir of Bo's life and how she cares for an elderly woman who also refused to leave the flooded city. For me there wasn't enough action to keep me interested.

This wasn’t really what I was expecting. Based on the description, I was expecting a cli-fi story. It turned out to be a literary fiction novel about a middle aged woman finding her way and her relationship (Bo) with a dying woman (Mia.) In this speculative future, some people are living way past the century mark. Mia is 130. At around 40, perhaps Bo is the equivalent of a twenty-something in this world,

Bo has been struggling to stay or flee her California City which is on the brink of being unlivable. When we meet her, she’s a non-practicing artist. She takes a gig taking care of Mia, an elderly Chinese-American woman with no local family, Mia creeps closer to death as the book progresses, and Bo connects more with her life and art. Mia provides Bo with interesting stories about her long life and family history. The cli-fi element of this novel doesn’t really add to the story and it could have been solely about the relationship between the two women.

The book was well written and Kwan used language to beautifully tell this story, even if it wasn’t the story I was really looking for. If you’re a fan of modern art and the process, you might find this one especially interesting.

Thank You Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon Press and NetGalley for access to the ARC of this book.

This was not what I thought it would be, I struggled to engage with the story and the characters. The pacing was too slow and the plot was almost non-existent. I was at the point of giving up about 30% in, I jumped to the end to see if it would give me a reason to stick with it despite the lack of interest in the beginning, but still nothing. I went back a bit further still, still nothing. The premise seemed like it would be the scaffolding for an interesting story, but alas, it was stagnant and flat and didn't give me a reason to stick with it.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I really appreciated the details of everyday life for Bo and Mia but I just couldn’t stick with it. After reading other folks glowing reviews, I think the pace it just a bit to slow for me to stick with it.

Sadly this book just wasn't for me. I was hoping for it to be more about the setting and the world rather than the day by day of the characters, and I totally understand why the author took this direction so it is 100% a me problem! Totally recommend for people who prefer the literary fiction side of SFF. A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a free eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

The premise of this book sounded so interesting to me. San Francisco in the future - a floating city with never-ending rain. A young woman cares for an older woman (over 100 years old) and both seem stuck and unwilling to leave the city. Bo struggles to create art after losing her mother in a storm and much of the book followed her process in learning how to create a memorial after suffering such a loss. I had a hard time getting into this book and I felt like the plot was so slow. I just didn’t care about what was going on, like these characters who are unwilling to move I felt stuck and disappointed throughout much of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

In the crazy modern world, this is a book for those who want to slow down. This is for the ones who loved character driven stories, especially with the dynamic of an elderly character and a younger character having discussions about life. This book takes its time to unfurl its message. If you go in with the expectations this books will be a fast moving, climate-driven action novel, you may be a little disappointed.
Bo and Mia are touching characters, and their stories and discussions are beautiful. If you have the time or desire to slow down, you will enjoy the message of this book. The ending was beautiful and the setting was interesting, especially with how the remaining residents reacted to the climate crisis of flooding and moving society upwards into the top floor of buildings.
While I love the writing style, enjoyed the character dynamics, I did want to explore this climate altered world a little bit more.

San Francisco has been slowly sinking for years. The population has adjusted with rooftop markets, bridges connecting high-rises, etc., but the population has also been dwindling as people move to safer places. Bo is one of those who have stayed. Her cousin is coming for her soon, but she can't bring herself to want to leave, not since the disappearance of her mother a couple years ago in a great flood. When a note comes from a resident on another floor, a woman named Mia in her 100s, needing caretaking, Bo takes it as a sign to stay even longer and misses the boat.

There was so much of this I liked, the exploration of home and place, the ancestry and family, the sliver of Chinese-American history in the Bay Area, and Bo's return to her creation of artwork after a long struggle. Something about spending time with this supercentenarian brings Bo back to life and gives her a purpose she could no longer see. Bo is inspired to capture the past, to make something of Mia's memories, and eventually to honor her own memories as well. There are some survivalist elements to this book, but it was not your typical cli-fi title.

I felt like it could have been a bit shorter and I didn't love the storyline between Bo and Eddie, although I did see its purpose. Overall, I think this was well-written, quite touching in several moments, and I really appreciated the ending/20%. I'm glad I stuck with it to get there.

This book is a bit too slow and without plot for me. I think the writing itself is very lovely, but it’s hard to stay engaged when I don’t feel connected to the story or characters.

In a future San Francisco, everything is underwater due to heavy, nonstop rainfall. Most people have fled the city for drier places, but main character Bo has remained, struggling to leave behind the world and knows.

There is a meaningful theme in this book, but it just meanders too much to really speak to me. I hope it finds the right audience, and I will definitely check out Susanna Kwan’s next project.

Susanna Kwan’s debut novel Awake in the Floating City was a masterfully written surprise for me to read. I had gone in expecting to read a dystopian survival story, but instead ended up reading a character-driven study in relationships, place, history, memorials and art—all of which just happened to be set in a flooded future world. Her writing is reminiscent of Rachel Khong’s Real Americans with a hint of Charlotte McConaghy’s environmental storytelling. This was a book that I savored and has still stuck with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Awake in the Floating City is a speculative novel set in San Francisco some decades in the future. Years of extraordinarily heavy rains have caused the city to flood. Most citizens have fled, but those that remain behind are left in a strange limbo – attempting to go about their lives when everything around them has changed.

The novel follows Bo, a middle-aged woman who has remained in the city for years following her mother’s death in a flash flood. She is preparing to finally leave the city and join her extended family members in Canada when she receives a letter from an elderly neighbor hoping to find in-home help. When Bo meets Mia, she decides to cancel her plans to leave and remain in the flooded city to help.

The story was much more focused on Bo’s relationship with Mia and other secondary characters, such as her love interest, Eddie, and memories of Bo’s mother before her passing, than on the science fiction aspect of the world. It also explores the relationships Mia had/still has with her extended family, all of whom are dead or left her for an easier life in Europe. After caring for Mia for a number of months, Bo decides to re-instate her plans to depart for British Columbia. Before she does so, she completes a modern art installation as a memorial for Mia, whose life is coming to an end.

I’d recommend this to those who are looking for a well-written novel focused on found family and human relationships. For those seeking more SFF vibes, read elsewhere.

DNF at 37%

There were parts of this book that I did like, and I do feel like this author write well.
But nothing was happening, and I grew quite bored.
I think about the characters, so there was enough to get me interested.
You know when someone talks in the same monotone and it just seems to be flat? No pitch or variance? That was this book for me.
This book did however make me think of "Where the Crawdads Sing"- another popular book where nothing happens. I definitely think this will get high reviews, as it has already, but my review will not be among those.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy, and sorry I don't have a better review for you!

I won't lie. This was a 2 star read for me, but I'm bumping it to 3 stars because it was well-written and I really liked the ending.

This wasn't what I expected it to be. I thought it'd be more about survival in a climate ravaged dystopian San Francisco, but it was mostly about human relationships and the importance of family history.

This story would've worked on its own without the cli-fi setting. While it was cool to read about people surviving on the top floors of buildings and skyscrapers, I didn't think it was all that necessary to the story.

I admired the caregiver relationship between the FMC, Bo, and Mia. It's a found family type of story with a younger character and an elderly character. I really thought it was well done and showed the strength of human connection, even in the face of a climate apocalypse.

And if you're a lover of modern art, the ending with its very detailed descriptions of Bo's very moving artwork was perfection. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the novel, but it is what it is.

I'd recommend if you're into lit fic about human relationships. Not so much if you're more of a SFF reader like I am.

Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for this arc.