Risse’s tense but thrilling cli-fi debut scrutinizes communication and connection during climate collapse. When the government bans smartphones, Billy’s mother Juliet, skeptical of the ban, hides his smartphone in the basement, allowing the teenager to secretly use it. While Juliet is visiting her mother in Florida, Billy emerges from a trip to the basement to find his Boston home deluged by a sudden flood. With his father and brother missing, Billy’s only connection to the world is through frantic text messages with his mother on their illicit phones. Despite the worsening chaos, Juliet is determined to make her way back to her son, and Billy is determined to survive.

Risse’s attention to detail vividly captures the devastation the massive flood brings to the Eastern seaboard. As Juliet searches desperately for a way home through submerged towns and broken infrastructure, Billy—forced to retreat to the upper floors of the house to escape the waters—sees his neighborhood turn into a “brown-green stew” of floating cars, swirling debris, and rotting corpses. Though often disturbing, the haunting descriptions of the flood’s fallout will keep readers on edge as they follow Juliet and Billy’s attempts to navigate the cataclysmic aftermath of a major environmental disaster.

The fractured texts between mother and son, frequently stalled by the failing telecommunications network, underscore their deep bond and heighten their sense of alienation. Though the banned phones provide their only tenuous connection, they also tempt those around them: tensions within the complex relationship between Juliet and her impromptu traveling companion Martin are heightened when he tries to use her phone for his own ends. The nuanced complexity of the relationships among characters shines even against the tumultuous backdrop of the environmental catastrophe. The story’s relentless intensity can be emotionally exhausting, but the characters’ resilience in the face of disaster offers a sobering but hopeful vision of the future.

Takeaway: Powerful story of survival and connection amid climate catastrophe.

Comparable Titles: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Stephen Markley’s The Deluge.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A