Awake in the Floating City

Apr 18

San Francisco has been slowly sinking for years. The population has adjusted with rooftop markets, bridges connecting high-rises, etc., but the population has also been dwindling as people move to safer places. Bo is one of those who have stayed. Her cousin is coming for her soon, but she can't bring herself to want to leave, not since the disappearance of her mother a couple years ago in a great flood. When a note comes from a resident on another floor, a woman named Mia in her 100s, needing caretaking, Bo takes it as a sign to stay even longer and misses the boat.

There was so much of this I liked, the exploration of home and place, the ancestry and family, the sliver of Chinese-American history in the Bay Area, and Bo's return to her creation of artwork after a long struggle. Something about spending time with this supercentenarian brings Bo back to life and gives her a purpose she could no longer see. Bo is inspired to capture the past, to make something of Mia's memories, and eventually to honor her own memories as well. There are some survivalist elements to this book, but it was not your typical cli-fi title.

I felt like it could have been a bit shorter and I didn't love the storyline between Bo and Eddie, although I did see its purpose. Overall, I think this was well-written, quite touching in several moments, and I really appreciated the ending/20%. I'm glad I stuck with it to get there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon books for the digital review copy of this title.