'An extraordinary achievement for a first novel: tender, heartfelt and heart-breaking' Francis Spufford, author of GOLDEN HILL
'Deeply rewarding and wholly unforgettable' Bret Anthony Johnston, author of REMEMBER ME LIKE THIS
'Captivating and warm and real' Janet Ellis, author of HOW IT WAS
'Astonishingly moving' Joanna Hershon, author of A DUAL INHERITANCE
'A deep, genuine investigation of memory, the pain of loss, and the strength of a mother's love' Publishers Weekly
Maddy is sixteen. Deeply curious, wry and vivacious, she's poised at the outset of adulthood. 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.
Hungry for experience despite living in the shadow of illness, Maddy seeks out her first romantic relationship, ponders philosophical questions, finds solace in music and art, and tracks down her father, 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 loves and only partly knows, in a world she can't control.
For fans of Celeste Ng and John Boyne, 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.
Unforgettable and singularly moving, with voices that range from tender to funny, despairing to defiant, this novel is a poignant testimony to the transformative power of love, humour and hope.
Optioned for film by Monumental Pictures/Lionsgate.
