St Martin’s Press
304 Pages
Sometimes, a book comes out that gets a lot of hype. A good portion of the time, at least in my opinion, the hype is warranted. I read about this book in one of the trade magazines, stating that this was one of the best books of the year. That’s a lot of hype to live up to. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the reviews that I read ahead of time, I probably would have not picked up All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall. I took a chance based solely on the reviews. This book was one of the few occasions where I simply didn’t like it, despite what others wrote in their reviews.
Global warming has devastated the planet. The glaciers and ice caps have melted. Coastal cities are inundated, practically uninhabitable. Our narrator, Nonie, is a young girl who is living with her family in the ruins of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. They try to save the exhibits, but will use some of the artifacts when necessary for their survival. They use Central Park to grow food and hunt rapidly barren wildlife. The city is quickly reaching the point when it can no longer support settlement, even with flood walls keeping the rising waters at bay.
When a superstorm hits the city, the flood walls are threatened and then breached. Nonie and her family must escape the confines of the city. Nature strikes with a fury that seems to be character unto itself in this narrative, actively seeking to hunt down and destroy the human interlopers. With the flood walls breached, it’s time for Nonie and her family to escape up the river towards a new home out in the wilds. What will they meet out there? Will they be welcomed, or will they be forced to be itinerant refugees without a home? In a time where every resource is fiercely protected, leaving the city brings as many dangers as staying in the sinking metropolis.
Along what is presumed to be the Hudson River, they come across communities that are tenaciously hanging onto civilized society in a crumbling world. Not everyone is excited to see them. Resources are dwindling and their inclusion may make it even more difficult for these small outposts to survive. Does Nonie have a future in this shattered North America?
Typically, I enjoy reading dystopian novels. However, this one was tedious, slow, and not entertaining. The potential was there, but the characters never really grow. The narrative is limited and slow moving. Frankly, it was boring. I struggled to reach the end of this book. There’s not a lot of upside in this book, which is somewhat normal in a dystopian novel. Still, there is typically a glimmer of hope in these novels. That seems to be missing from this novel.
Character development is pretty much nonexistent. I couldn’t make a connection with any of the people moving in and out of Nonie’s life. I didn’t even feel much for Nonie herself. Some of the “luck” that fell their way, especially when they were in the museum during the height of the stone seemed too contrived. The characters happen to fall into things rather than allowing them to develop. The author, in my opinion, was trying to tell the readers how bad things could be in our near future rather than telling the story. That, I believe, is the biggest shortcoming in this book.
The story, as written, is more symbolic and poetic, which could be its strongest feature. It does not, however, overcome the poor storytelling and poorer character development. Based on the reviews, I wanted to like All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall. In the end, this novel just didn’t hold any water for me. I know from reading the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads that I am in the minority. Sometimes, good books just don’t “do it” for the reader. Such was the case with me for this book.
Craig Bacon wants to like every book he reads. He feels bad when he doesn’t like it. The author has put so much into their artwork.