Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read an e-ARC of All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall! This book releases on January 7, 2025, so there’s plenty of time to preorder this book or to request it from your local library!

In a world ravaged and drowned by climate disaster, Nonie and her family must abandon the life they knew and find a new way to survive the world as it has become. They start a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH, pronounced like “Amen”) and live in relative harmony and safety, never letting in strangers, hunting and growing food in Central Park, and trying to preserve the massive collections of human history and science. Nonie keeps her own records of life, the collections, and much more. When they must abandon the place they’ve come to call home, they take a boat and ride the swollen Hudson river hoping to make it to her mother’s old home in the north. As one would expect in a climate disaster story, they encounter all types of unsavory characters who have found other ways of surviving. Readers are sure to encounter themes of grief, coming of age, community, love, the importance of history and knowledge, and question the ways in which humans choose to survive.

I really really wanted this to be a 5-star read (especially since it’s compared to some of my favorite dystopian stories like “Parable of the Sower” and “Station Eleven”), but this missed the mark. I found it slow-paced, repetitive, and at times a little *too* much like the comparison titles. That being said, if you want an atmospheric, post-climate-disaster world, slow-burn read – this is a great option! Even though I had higher expectations, I really enjoyed Caffall’s writing style and tone, which brought the character’s voices and experiences to life. I genuinely look forward to seeing what else she crafts in the future!