In a future, rain-flooded San Francisco, grieving artist Bo becomes the caregiver for 130-year-old Mia, forging a profound connection that rekindles Bo’s creative purpose and compels her to memorialize both Mia’s life and their vanishing city. Through their evolving friendship, the novel explores themes of loss, legacy, and the enduring power of art and human connection amid environmental collapse.

Reader Review Summary

Set in a future San Francisco around 2050, the novel takes place in a city submerged by years of relentless rain and rising waters, where most residents have fled and only a few remain, living in the upper floors of high-rise buildings connected by rooftop bridges. The story centers on Bo, a Chinese American artist who has been unable to create art since her mother disappeared in a storm surge. As Bo contemplates leaving for Canada with her remaining family, she receives a note from Mia, a 130-year-old neighbor seeking a caregiver. Through her new role, Bo forms a deep connection with Mia, whose stories of her past—including her experiences as a Chinese immigrant and her family history—rekindle Bo’s artistic drive. The narrative explores themes of memory, loss, caregiving, and the preservation of personal and cultural history against the backdrop of a slowly vanishing city.

Readers appreciated the novel’s atmospheric and detailed depiction of a flooded San Francisco, with specific mentions of rooftop markets, mycelium walls for mushroom cultivation, and the adaptation of daily life to the new environment. Many found the relationship between Bo and Mia to be the emotional core of the book, highlighting the nuanced portrayal of caregiving, intergenerational friendship, and the exploration of Chinese American history. The writing style was frequently described as lyrical, contemplative, and immersive, with several readers noting the effective use of art and memory as central motifs. The book’s focus on themes such as grief, legacy, and the importance of human connection resonated with readers, and the ending, particularly Bo’s art project as a tribute to Mia and the city, was singled out as especially moving.

Some readers were dissatisfied with the slow pacing and the lack of action, expecting more emphasis on survival or the mechanics of living in a climate-ravaged dystopia. Several reviews noted that the world-building felt underdeveloped, with questions about the plausibility of the city’s continued functioning and the logistics of daily life in such extreme conditions. Others found the narrative too focused on introspection and exposition, with long stretches of internal monologue and detailed descriptions of art that some found difficult to visualize or connect with. A number of readers struggled to relate to Bo as a protagonist, describing her as passive or uncommunicative, and felt that the story could have been more effective as a short story rather than a full-length novel.

The book is classified as literary fiction with speculative and dystopian elements, and is often described as more character-driven than plot-driven. It incorporates aspects of climate fiction but uses the environmental catastrophe primarily as a metaphor for change, loss, and isolation rather than as the main narrative engine. The story also delves into the history of Chinese immigration and the complexities of family relationships, particularly between mothers and daughters. The novel has received a moderate average rating from readers, with a mix of highly positive and critical reviews, and is frequently recommended for readers interested in contemplative, relationship-focused fiction rather than those seeking fast-paced science fiction or dystopian thrillers.