I liked this book enough to almost make it halfway through, but it's not holding my attention enough right now to finish it. I was expecting more from the climate disaster narrative than listening to the life story of a woman over 100 who's bitter about everything.

I've rated this book 4/5 stars because the writing is great, but the storyline isn't for me. Someone who's more into literary fiction will enjoy this!

Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan is such a remarkable debut.
I devoured this book in one sitting, completely captivated.
The writing is stunning, elegant, and emotionally sharp.

A memory cannot be drowned

In the wake of a seven year span of torrential and nearly non-stop rains, San Francisco like many other low lying areas has been almost completely submerged. Where there once were streets there are now rivers, and all but the tallest buildings are under water. Most of the residents of the Bay Area have been swept away by the water, fled for what they hoped were safer places or moved to higher ground. One such resident of the city is Bo, whose apartment is located on an upper floor of a tall building. She is an artist, but since the day that her mother disappeared during a storm surge (for which she feels at least partly responsible) she has not been able to summon her artistic muse. She lives alone, lonely, her only social contact when she ventures to her building's roof which has become a market for food and other necessities as well as a needed social outlet for those who feel cut off from the rest of the world. Bo has extended family members who were part of the large migration out of the city; many ended up in Canada and are in regular communication with her. They want her to leave her precarious life in San Francisco and join them where it is, they say, safe. Bo doesn't share the same urgent desire to leave (in fact, she hopes if she waits long enough her mother will reappear), and is only too aware of the dangers that lie on the trail from where she is to where they are. One of her cousins issues an ultimatum; he is coming for her on a boat on a certain date and she must be packed and ready to go. Even as Bo gathers her essential belongings a note is slipped under her door. Mia, a 130 year old resident of the building, is asking for her help a few days a week in return for pay; Bo had acted in a similar role for one of Mia's neighbors, and it was noted. She can't decide what she really wants to do, but ends up staying where she feels someone needs her. Their relationship starts out stilted but over time develops into a deep friendship, despite the vast difference in their ages and life experiences. Mia tells Bo the story of her life, shedding a light on aspects of San Francisco history and its treatment of Asian Americans as the tales unfold. It is Mia and her life that will provide inspiration to Bo's art at last.
Despite its setting in the near future after global warming has wrought havoc with temperatures and sea levels, this is not a taut sci-fi thriller; it is instead a story about people, relationships, loss, hope and the power to go on in the face of disaster. Character trumps action in author Susanna Kwan's debut novel, and in particular the characters of Bo and Mia are beautifully rendered and possess great emotional depth. It is also a paean to San Francisco, drawn in its changed yet still beautiful state. Weaving together themes of memory, grief, relationships, loss and change, the author paints a surprisingly hopeful portrait of people who even amidst devastation can show one another compassion and encourage one another to hold on to hope for better days. Mia's personal stories are connected to real historical events, which brings a sense of realism to the stories as they unfold. This isn't a perfect novel, but it is one in which prose is nearly poetic and encourages reflection on the strength of the human spirit. In a world which has recently gone through a pandemic, the emotional toll on forced isolation will resonate with many. Readers of Jemimah Wei, Téa Obreht and Rachel Khong should definitely take a peek within this novel's covers, as should those who enjoy immersing themselves in a leisurely-paced, well-crafted story. My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor/Pantheon Books for allowing me access to this poignant tale in exchange for my honest review.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Susanna Kwan’s novel “Awake in the Floating City" – “An utterly transporting debut novel about the unexpected relationship between an artist and the 130-year-old woman she cares for—two of the last people living in a flooded San Francisco of the future, the home neither is ready to leave.”

The first chapter orients the reader into time and place: the San Francisco of the future, where the rain has been pouring down for seven years and the streets have been transformed to rivers. The residents – including our narrator, Bo – have had to seek higher ground.

Awake in the Floating City is the quietly heart wrenching tale of an unlikely friendship between a centenarian and the woman tasked to care for her, in a near-future San Francisco ravaged by constant rain. The dramatic change in weather, and its consequences, stand as a metaphor for changing times and isolation than an important premise of the story.

Don’t expect a fast-paced plot, the writing is deep and contemplative, focused on description and the inner life of the narrator, a woman named Bo. Her friendship with Mia, the woman she’s hired to care for, takes a year to develop. This gives you time to get to know them, their environment, and the people that come and go in their lives.

At first, pace bothered me, but once you get through it, it makes sense. Sometimes Bo’s choices irritated me. I also really appreciated the representation of very old age via Mia’s character. In our modern Western cultures where very old people tend to be erased, or old age treated as an uncomfortable inconvenience, it felt powerful and unique to read a story centered around a hundred year old woman. Mia’s age and all the ailments that come with it were addressed with respect and profound love for the character.

A recommended read if you enjoy thoughtful, slow-paced stories that delve deep into the characters’ daily lives and emotions. The writing is wonderful, which is a testament to Susanna Kwan who is in clear command of her writing despite this book being a debut.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a meditative, post-apocalyptic(ish) book that takes place in 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 that 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 complex, platonic relationships between women and explorations of Chinese-American identity.

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

A beautifully written, meditative book, set in a speculative 2050 San Francisco. I was drawn into the relationship - between caregiver and cared for, what that can nourish in each, particularly when it's a chosen family relationship. Anticipatory grief and climate change - and beauty and care at the same time. Thank you so much for the ARC, I can't wait to read more!

A tale of the future in San Francisco, in which the environment has broken down and the west coast is gradually washing into the Pacific and the rain never stops. Folks live in the upper floors of buildings, and travel from roof to roof on makshift bridges. Food is grown on the roofs, and housing units have walls of mushrooms to harvest for food. But this is only the background of the story. Folks live into their 100's, and Bo is an artist who supports herself by taking care of the very old who may live in their own apartments but cannot live alone. Mia is 130 year plus.The families of both women do not live near them. Bo has relatives several hundred miles away who want her to join them. As Mia approaches death, Bo decides to make an art installation to honor Mia before Mia dies, This book traces the development of their relationship. Warning---the last portion of the novel is a graphic description of Mia's last few days.

The description of this book was so interesting to me, but ultimately it did fall flat and it was hard for me to get through. It was beautifully written though and I'm likely in the minority here.

Awake in the Floating City is a beautifully atmospheric novel that blends magic realism with introspective storytelling. The prose is lyrical, immersing you in a vivid, dreamlike world, while the characters’ journeys feel emotionally authentic. Some parts are slow-paced, but the rich imagery and layered themes make up for it.

Overall, a compelling 4-star read. Perfect for those who appreciate poetic, thought-provoking fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up! Awake in the Floating City is a story of relationships, healing, and found family set against a backdrop of climate fiction (cli-fi). In a flooded San Francisco where it never stops raining, a relationship develops Bo and Mia, two of the last people still in the city. Through them we see imaginings of life in a not so distant (or not so unrealistic) future, with characters not so different from ourselves.

My notes:
- Character-driven
- Lyric writing
- Showing, not telling
- Less sci fi, more lit fic
- Relationships, healing, found family

Thank you to netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon Book, ireadvintage, and Susanna Kwan for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Near-future San Francisco has been inundated by rains for seven years, causing the city that Bo loved to be “lost to time and water.” Yet, Bo has stubbornly continued to remain in her studio apartment although many of the occupants of the building, and everyone that Bo knew, had departed long ago from neighborhoods that were melting away. Bo’s days were spent in silence, unless errands necessitated that she venture to the rooftops where street vendors and small businesses had set up operations in the more densely populated sectors. Bo and those remaining in the city moved along the building rooftops to obtain necessities, like groceries, and to exercise and socialize.

Before leaving San Francisco at the urging of her cousin who has chartered a boat to collect her, Bo received a note requesting help. It was signed by “Mia,” a resident in another unit. Before the rains had begun, Bo had worked as a caregiver. One of her clients had left her enough money that she could devote her time to painting. In the past, she had found painting to make “her feel most herself, useful even. Now it was hard to imagine something more frivolous and meaningless.” Bo had not painted since her mother, a single parent, had disappeared, concluding that art “served no purpose in a time like this. It belonged to another world, one she’d left behind.” Bo’s mother, “like thousands of others trapped on this peninsula,” had certainly drowned in a big storm two years prior.
The note pulled at Bo like a magnet, and she cancelled her departure and introduced herself to the irascible 130 year old Mia, agreeing to perform cleaning, cooking and shopping tasks several days a week. The routine helped lift Bo’s malaise, and Bo listened as Mia prattled on about the remaining super seniors, her remote daughter’s impending 105th birthday, and her sprawling family who she has not seen in person for thirty years. Then Mia and Bo began to share meals. “How foreign it had become, to eat with another person. How unexpectedly appealing to consider it.” Mia began to share with Bo recollections from her extraordinary life, giving Bo purpose in preserving Mia’s legacy despite her grief.

Kwan’s debut novel is tender and moving, both melancholy and celebratory. This is a book about the past, the future, and using art and legacy to remain grounded in the present despite the inevitability of decay through time. Kwon’s quiet but beautiful prose perfectly captures the deep sadness of a dying, but once vibrant, city and its resilient inhabitants. Thank you Pantheon and Net Galley for an advance copy of this luminous novel that I would recommend without reservation.

The best part of this book is how inventive the world Kwan created is. I love speculative fiction, especially climate related, and this was very well done - believable, intricately structure, and thoroughly explained without sounding like a textbook.

It’s also a highly character driven story, and I found them all richly developed, especially Mia and Bo. I particularly liked the historical flashbacks that not only gave the characters depth, but also grounded the story in our world.

While I did think the pace was a bit too slow at times, I found the writing nice and the overarching plot satisfying. If you like quasi post apocalyptic stories, I’d definitely recommend checking this out.

Thank you to Pantheon and Netgalley for this ARC. Awake in the Floating City is out today!

AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY
Susanna Kwan

Days of rain turned into months of rain, and the very structure on which the world was built began to crumble. The cities then turned into islands.

Bo lives in such a city. She spends her days and nights alone, creating art and making plans for a not-so-bright future. She is set to leave with her cousin for a better situation, where she is with family, not alone. Days before leaving, she receives a request that a woman upstairs in the apartment building would like her help. Her name is Mia.

Mia is in her last days, and the city around her is crumbling. She needs more help these days, and so she asks Bo a favor. Will Bo stay and care for her in her final days?

Bo knows she should go, yet she decides to stay. This decision will change her life forever.



In this dystopian world, mourning your loved ones and celebrating their life in their passing is more difficult than ever. The rituals we know now have long been replaced with cold efficiency.

AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY has a sentimental way of looking at life, at people. I appreciated being in that headspace while reading.

Bo, as a character, is interesting because she kind of blossoms into herself over the course of the book. It felt more like a becoming than a traditional character arc. The writing is beautiful, and the story is layered, offering many levels of insight.

I feel like an array of readers will enjoy this story and find a place within the pages as it discusses several themes and allows for multiple viewpoints from different angles.

I really enjoyed this one. Out today!

Thanks to Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon

AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY…⭐⭐⭐⭐

At the outset, I thought Awake in the Floating City would be mostly focused on the climate fiction angle of this story, and while it was that, it was also a very human story about relationships and connections, in a way that a lot of climate fiction fails to manage.

Awake in the Floating City is the story of Bo, who lives in San Francisco in the year 2050, a city ravaged by climate change and sea level rise. Bo takes care of Mia, an elderly woman, and uses that connection to explore her own complicated feelings about her family, namely her mother, who has left Bo behind. Bo isn't sure who she is outside of SF, and her time with Mia gives her the chance to contemplate her place in the world.

This is, as I said, a much quieter story than the premise may suggest, but it was beautifully written and atmospheric and I have been thinking about it in the days since finishing it.

The premise to Awake in the Floating City sounded perfect for me, but ultimately I found it to be a little dull. The characters also didn't feel like real people.

This was such an interesting premise! I really liked the floating city setting.

I felt like the middle of this book was a bit of a slog for me, I found myself not really reaching for it when I wanted to read. I liked Bo and her relationship that grew with her neighbor.

I think that this book will resonate with a lot of folks and would definitely recommend to those that like a more post-apocalyptic type of setting.

I enjoy dystopian fiction, and this book is set in a future San Francisco. Climate change has led to many parts of the city being flooded, and most people have fled. But Bo twice refuses the escape that her cousin has arranged for her. She is a caregiver for a 130 year old woman, Mia, and Bo just can't leave when Mia relies on her. But even more than that, Bo is an artist, who hasn’t been able to create anything since her mother disappeared. Now, she wants to create a memorial for Mia before she dies. In part it's a tribute to Chinese Americans and their history in the area. But it's also a gift to Bo's city, her home, and the people who have remained.

A melancholy novel that's really about the relationship between Bo and Mia, the (very) elderly woman she's been hired to care for in a San Francisco that's sinking under the weight of rain. I struggled a bit to get into this as it wanders before Mia is introduced. Bo is an artist who lost her mother in one of the floods, she's been putting off her cousin who wants her to sail for Canada, and she's struggling with life. Mia's daughter has moved to Europe. She's got an interesting story to tell Bo who, almost against her will, becomes engaged and decides to create a memorial for her. There's world building throughout the novel (I was fascinated by the mushrooms on the walls and the markets on the roof), a love interest for Bo, and a looming crisis for Mia. Many pages are devoted to Bo's art, which I had trouble visualizing. Neither Mia nor Bo is especially likable but their relationship will grow on them and on you. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read and a nice debut.

I could say both good and bad things about this book. While not entertaining, it is beautifully flowery, at times captivating, at times frustrating to read the same rehashed topics, ending in a bit of a miss. I cared very much for Bo and Mia, but the art and navel-gazing in this book just got to me. I'm sure part of it is because this is a litfic disguised as a soft scifi novel. 2 stars, mostly because I really had to force myself to read this one.

A beautifully, uniquely written book. It is a little slow moving and didn't always keep my interest.