Abi Curtis

Water and Glass is a very readable and engaging dystopian novel, particularly because the main characters are so interesting and well crafted. Set in a flooded future on a submarine filled with human and animal refugees, the story floats between the past and the present through the eyes of Narissa, the veterinarian charged with caring for the animals, and the eyes and mysterious camera of an escaped Wooly Rat named Molloy. The story itself is a bit frustrating, especially the many unanswered show more questions and the ending that was more of a beginning. I had the feeling there should have been more, that this book could have been twice the length and still have left me wondering. All told, I enjoyed reading this book and find it an interesting addition to my dystopina/post apocalyptic collection. show less

Abi Curtis is a published and winning poet so it is no surprise that the prose in this book has a poetical cadence. What was a surprise was how good this post-apocalyptic book is. I hope the awards committees for various prizes pay attention.

At some time in the future the oceans start to encroach on land due to melting of the ice caps. Every year people have to move away from the coastlines but otherwise life continues. People go to school, go to work, get married, even travel to some of the show more places that have already been drowned. Nerissa is a veterinarian and her skills in looking after the remaining animals are valued. So she gets an invitation to join the Baleen a combination ship/submarine which is planning to set sail before a final cataclysmic flood come. Baleen has an assortment of animals from elephants to one woolly rat from South America. Nerissa and her assistant Herman look after the animals while other places on the ship there is a garden, a shopping centre, a laundry, a hair salon, a kitchen, a social centre--all the amenities in short. Nerissa doesn't go out much but when the woolly rat, Molloy, goes missing she has to start exploring. And what she finds has her questioning the whole project.

It's pretty obvious that this book is based upon the Noah's Ark story in the Bible but I think there are also echoes of Moby Dick and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It is very cleverly done and also beautifully written. show less

“Water & Glass” is a beautifully written, literary novel set in a future world beset by catastrophic storms and flooding. Zoologist Narissa Crane is enlisted to join a group of people on an enormous ship/submarine to care for an ‘ark-load’ of different animals. The narrative weaves back and forth between her past and current life, telling stories of her parents, her schooling, her husband, and her life on the ‘ark’ in vignette-like chapters. This is a genre-bending story, part show more futuristic climate speculative fiction, but also quietly atmospheric like an older, classic novel or myth. There is also a dark mystery on the ship and tension slowly builds as the book progresses to a conclusion complete with a life-threatening monster. This is unique fiction, created in shades of indigo and earthy, quietly emotional prose. Many thanks to Library Early Reviewers and especially to publisher Cloud Lodge Books for a lovely review edition. show less

While this book has an intriguing science fiction premise – much of the planet is underwater from global warming -- the narration was introspective and journal-like, building the character and history of the protagonist over any semblance of a plot. The meandering story is beautifully told but felt lacking since very little happened until the last 10th of the novel, and that was a very unexpected “twist” which was unfortunately not satisfying. Still, I enjoyed the almost meditative show more journey of the main character and the chapters told from the perspective of a wooly rat, for the lyrical writing itself. show less