Transcript:
Eiren Caffall began writing her first novel after seeing the destruction caused by Superstorm Sandy.
Caffall: “It gave me really specific nightmare fuel for what it looks like when the worst-case scenario happens.”
She imagined how people might respond after an even more extreme climate disaster.
Caffall: “How people would create spaces of kindness and support and also how people would create the opposite of that out of fear.”
Her novel “All the Water in the World” is set in a future New York City that’s been flooded by rising seas. The main characters live on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History and try to protect the objects inside.
Caffall: “This was in large part inspired by so many stories across the globe and across time of curators staying behind during war, during weather crises, to protect collections.”
But when a massive storm destroys the city’s remaining sea walls, the characters flee in a canoe.
They paddle up the Hudson River, seeking safety. In some places, they encounter desperate, ruthless people. But they also find helpers and caring communities.
So the novel invites readers to think about how to rebuild after climate disasters …
Caffall: “ … about what it looks like to come out on the other side and begin to make a future.”
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
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