Maddy is sixteen. Smart, funny, and profound, she has loyal friends, a mother with whom she’s unusually close, a father she’s never met, devoted grandparents, and a crush on a boy named Jack. Maddy also has cancer. Living in the shadow of uncertainty, she is forced to grow up fast.
All the Water in the World is the story of a family doing its best when faced with the worst. Told in the alternating voices of Maddy and her mother, Eve, the narrative moves between the family’s lake house in Pennsylvania; their home in Washington, DC; and London, where Maddy’s father, Antonio, lives. Hungry for experience, Maddy seeks out her first romantic relationship, finds solace in music and art, and tracks down Antonio. She continually tests the depths and limits of her closeness with her mother, while Eve has to come to terms with the daughter she only partly knows, in a world she can’t control.
With unforgettable voices that range from tender to funny, despairing to defiant, this novel illuminates the transformative power of love, humor, and hope.
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published August 6th 2019 by Scribner
I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My Review
This is a tender exploration of the relationship between a mother and daughter in the most difficult of circumstances. The narration switches between Eve and Maddy's perspectives and doesn't always fall in chronological order.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the music which Maddy enjoys so much and the setting of the lake. This book also contains some of the most detailed descriptions of chemotherapy and its effects that I've read in any novel.
The story and the relationships between the characters were very moving and I enjoyed the story, although towards the end Eve's actions seemed perhaps a little out of character. I'd give this 3 out of 5 and would be interested to read future novels by Karen Raney.
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