Book description: “Awake in the Floating City” by Susanna Kwan is a debut literary novel set in a near-future, dystopian San Francisco that has been submerged by years of relentless rain and flooding. The story follows Bo, a 40-year-old artist who has been unable to create art and is haunted by the disappearance of her mother in a storm surge. While most of the city’s population has fled, Bo remains in isolation, caught between wanting to escape and holding on to the hope her mother may still be alive.
Bo’s life takes a turn when she receives a note from Mia, her 130-year-old neighbor, who asks for her help as a caregiver. Despite initial reluctance, their relationship deepens, drawing Bo back toward art as Mia shares her life stories and memories. Together, they confront the loss of a community and a way of life as the city is slowly overtaken by water. Bo ultimately embarks on an ambitious art project that weaves together her and Mia’s pasts with the history of San Francisco, creating a temporary public memorial to a disappearing world.
The novel explores themes of grief, memory, resilience, human connection, and the importance of compassion amid environmental disaster. It portrays how community and caring relationships are essential for survival beyond mere individual effort. The city’s flooded high-rises, rooftop markets, and bridges symbolize both decay and human adaptation in this transformed world.
This book was an excellent read on so many levels. I highly recommend it, and I'm certain I will revisit it.
#fiction #ClimateChange #disaster #fantasy #books bookstodon group (npub1ny7…uv57)
