The Water That May Come – Amy Lilwall

A writer new to me, always an exciting prospect and I quickly found myself completely engrossed in this book. It’s very pertinent in terms of global warming and the environmental crisis that our country, and indeed the world, faces. Here the threat is from the rising seas that threaten to flood the country. So, in a sense it is a dystopian novel, but it’s not so far removed from our current reality. And that makes it quite a chilling read in many respects. The characters, as diverse as they are, all needing to make plans for an exodus from the UK as they fear that most of it will soon be underwater. And I found myself wondering what I would do if faced with this situation, this environmental catastrophe.

 

The writing is tight and assured with a narrative that flows as imposingly as the flooding it predicts. The characters are well defined, believable and relatable. Their mix gives the story a balance that broadens its appeal. These characters find themselves in situations that would be thought provoking and challenging even without the added provocation of a Biblical type of deluge!

 

Escape seems the only option, and many seek to flee to Europe but immigration poses its issues, as well we know, so a new law is passed, The Intimacy Law. I don’t want to go down the spoiler route but creatively and imaginatively this was genius, I thought! Morally disturbing though.

 

Amy Lilwall writes with astute compassion, yet she doesn’t flinch from the harsher aspects of life. I enjoyed the way the book encouraged me to think and ponder. There were several unanswered questions and room for the reader to allow their own imaginations into play. The dynamic between all the characters, with their quirks and personalities, their motivations and the quest for survival render the fiction a fascinating exercise in literary people watching.

 

I found the conclusion a tad anti-climactic if I’m honest. That may be because I didn’t really want the book to end! Or because it also made me confront some uncomfortable truths about our world and our environment?

My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon and Fly on the Wall Press for a gifted copy.