From the administrative collapse of society to a deadly epidemic to an epic natural disaster, post-apocalyptic literature posits many horrific and dangerous futures.

In Eiren Caffall’s fantastic first novel, ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD, the earth --- and human experience on it --- is fundamentally altered due to climate catastrophe. The terror in the book is all too real --- though never gratuitously graphic --- not in the least because the seeds of this future have been planted, and we already are reaping what we have sowed. However, this is a tale not of horror, but of relationship, memory, strength, community and hope.

"ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD is a harrowing vision, a beautifully written novel, and an introspective, weighty, poetic and engrossing narrative. Readers of Lois Lowry and Octavia Butler will discover a welcome and talented new voice in Eiren Caffall."

In the very near future, the eastern coastline of the U.S. is underwater and damaged more every day through a series of intense storms. While the government, using the army, maintained order for a number of years, eventually things broke down entirely. The survivors of storms, violence and new diseases either died or fled to higher ground. In the ruins that used to be the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, a small group of survivors live together. Most of the adults worked there before the collapse and sought the safety of the huge building, eventually setting up a living space on the roof that they name “Amen.” Inside the museum, they try to protect and save the specimens and knowledge stored in the exhibits, artifacts and texts, imparting as much learning to the children among them as they can.

One of those youngsters is Norah, who is called Nonie. Nonie has no memory of life before the glaciers melted and flooded her world. But her parents, and the other adults of Amen, share with her stories about the past and inspire her to dream of the future, despite the death, destruction and difficulties all around her. In fact, Nonie’s parents and their Amen community instill in her a wonder about the world. She and all of Amen suffer much tragedy; over the years, friends die from untreated illnesses, such as mosquito-borne diseases and grievous injuries. Nonie and her older sister, Bix, lose their mother and several of their caregivers.

Soon after the start of the novel, a devastating storm destroys what is left of Amen and the museum. Nonie, Bix, their father and a friend named Keller find themselves navigating what remains of the city in an exhibit canoe, hoping to make their way to a family farm that may or may not be a safe haven for them.

Caffall details the climate crisis, the history of Amen, and the journey to the farm with chapters that alternate in time and with excerpts from Nonie’s “Water Logbook.” Each chapter is short but powerful --- written with grace, thoughtfulness and emotion, and full of the scientific details that help structure life in Amen and provide a vision of the future for Nonie.

ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD is a harrowing vision, a beautifully written novel, and an introspective, weighty, poetic and engrossing narrative. Readers of Lois Lowry and Octavia Butler will discover a welcome and talented new voice in Eiren Caffall.