Title: After the Flood

Author: Kassandra Montag

Publisher: William Morrow 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 432

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library

A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated America’s great coastal cities and then its heartland, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water.

Stubbornly independent Myra and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, fish from their small boat, the Bird, visiting dry land only to trade for supplies and information in the few remaining outposts of civilization. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, in a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Arctic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there.

On their journey, Myra and Pearl join forces with a larger ship and Myra finds herself bonding with her fellow seekers who hope to build a safe haven together in this dangerous new world. But secrets, lust, and betrayals threaten their dream, and after their fortunes take a shocking—and bloody—turn, Myra can no longer ignore the question of whether saving Row is worth endangering Pearl and her fellow travelers.

I heard great things about this book and the author is from my town. I sped through the pages wanting to see what happened to the characters, but ultimately I didn’t really care about them. Most of the characters had too many flaws and not enough redeeming qualities. The amount of secrets kept really grated on me throughout the book. I was not so enamored with the world setting even though post-apocalypse is one of my go-to settings. And the ending really fell flat for me. I just couldn’t seem to muster any concern for the characters or their futures. I was constantly confused by the tone of the book and still can’t decide if it was optimistic or pessimistic. Definitely not a book for me.

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