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A review by ellemnope
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This mid-apocalypse dystopian is a view of the world following the melting of the polar ice caps and the subsequent flooding of previously heavily populated areas. The story begins in New York City with a family harbored in the Natural History Museum and follows through the POV of a young girl.
The story is a bit slow to get started and has some issues with organization of flashbacks, but the concept and intrigue are something special. I enjoyed the use of a child POV, especially one who has very limited knowledge of "The World As it Was". Her view of life and "normalcy" are different than had there been use of an adult POV and I think that allows for a more gentle and critical evaluation of both the situation and the progression of the apocalpytic scenarios.
Once the basis had been established and the plot truly got in motion, the story was very interesting and it held my attention quite well. I do wish the plot had been more heavy on this section of the novel.
The ending wraps up rather quickly. It was written well, but somehow left me feeling a bit whiplashed. After the tenseness of the last third of the book it just felt something like a sudden stop in a way that made the prior section of the novel feel a bit off kilter. It somewhat downplayed the severity of the situation and the difficulty of adaptation and survival. I can't say much more without spoilers, but just know I wish this would have been fleshed out a bit more.
TLDR: An excellent concept with good attention to potential issues, but fell a bit short on the initial pacing and the plot development of the conclusion. A decent think piece for sure.
The story is a bit slow to get started and has some issues with organization of flashbacks, but the concept and intrigue are something special. I enjoyed the use of a child POV, especially one who has very limited knowledge of "The World As it Was". Her view of life and "normalcy" are different than had there been use of an adult POV and I think that allows for a more gentle and critical evaluation of both the situation and the progression of the apocalpytic scenarios.
Once the basis had been established and the plot truly got in motion, the story was very interesting and it held my attention quite well. I do wish the plot had been more heavy on this section of the novel.
The ending wraps up rather quickly. It was written well, but somehow left me feeling a bit whiplashed. After the tenseness of the last third of the book it just felt something like a sudden stop in a way that made the prior section of the novel feel a bit off kilter. It somewhat downplayed the severity of the situation and the difficulty of adaptation and survival. I can't say much more without spoilers, but just know I wish this would have been fleshed out a bit more.
TLDR: An excellent concept with good attention to potential issues, but fell a bit short on the initial pacing and the plot development of the conclusion. A decent think piece for sure.