While this book has an intriguing science fiction premise – much of the planet is underwater from global warming -- the narration was introspective and journal-like, building the character and history of the protagonist over any semblance of a plot. The meandering story is beautifully told but felt lacking since very little happened until the last 10th of the novel, and that was a very unexpected “twist” which was unfortunately not satisfying. Still, I enjoyed the almost meditative journey of the main character and the chapters told from the perspective of a wooly rat, for the lyrical writing itself. ( )

I won a copy of Water & Glass via LibraryThing. Thank you! This book caught my attention and kept it for awhile but unfortunately after two tries, I just couldn't finish it. Not enough mystery and intrigue for my taste. ( )

Very good post-apocalyptic story. In a flooded world a woman takes care of animals on a submarine. But there are things she does not know about her past and the future is uncertain.

I really enjoyed this book. Abi Curtis writes well and I was invested in the main character, her past and where the story would take her. ( )

Nerissa is a veterinarian on a modern day Noah's ark, lost at sea after the polar ice caps melted to flood the earth. The submarine on which she and other survivalists travel, the "Baleen," is possibly the last collection of humans and animals left in the world. In chapters alternating between the present and Nerissa's life prior to the flood, the author describes the gradual disintegration of society as more countries are lost to the rising sea. Nerissa and her fellow companions ponder their future and mourn the loss of their loved ones, while Nerissa wonders how she was selected to board the Baleen in the first place. While I didn't enjoy the animal perspectives as much as the human interactions, I found myself captivated by the unique nature of this apocalyptic novel and the poetic writing. ( )

Abi Curtis is a published and winning poet so it is no surprise that the prose in this book has a poetical cadence. What was a surprise was how good this post-apocalyptic book is. I hope the awards committees for various prizes pay attention.

At some time in the future the oceans start to encroach on land due to melting of the ice caps. Every year people have to move away from the coastlines but otherwise life continues. People go to school, go to work, get married, even travel to some of the places that have already been drowned. Nerissa is a veterinarian and her skills in looking after the remaining animals are valued. So she gets an invitation to join the Baleen a combination ship/submarine which is planning to set sail before a final cataclysmic flood come. Baleen has an assortment of animals from elephants to one woolly rat from South America. Nerissa and her assistant Herman look after the animals while other places on the ship there is a garden, a shopping centre, a laundry, a hair salon, a kitchen, a social centre--all the amenities in short. Nerissa doesn't go out much but when the woolly rat, Molloy, goes missing she has to start exploring. And what she finds has her questioning the whole project.

It's pretty obvious that this book is based upon the Noah's Ark story in the Bible but I think there are also echoes of Moby Dick and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It is very cleverly done and also beautifully written. ( )