Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan
In a flooded San Francisco of the future, an unexpected friendship between an artist and the 130-year-old woman she cares for reignites purpose, creativity, and hope. Susanna Kwan’s debut novel, AWAKE IN THE FLOATING CITY, easily falls into the genre of climate fiction, but it is also so much more.
Years of rain have drowned San Francisco and many people have moved away. After Bo’s mother was carried away in a storm surge, Bo stagnated. As an artist, she couldn’t create, and as a daughter, she couldn’t leave and give up the hope that her mother might someday return. Other family members encourage her to leave before the city is completely underwater. Food is hard to get, work is scarce, and human connections are dwindling with the population. The night before Bo plans to leave, Mia, an elderly woman who lives in her building, slips a note under her door asking Bo to be her caregiver. Suddenly, Bo has purpose and listening to Mia’s story of her long life, inspires Bo to create a memorial in her honor – before she dies.
In a world that is quickly disappearing, Bo decides to stay with Mia and care for her till the end. She finds solace in her grief from her newfound friendship, and is inspired to create art that commemorates the transitory nature of life and relationships.
Listen to my interview with Susanna Kwan on the May edition of Superior Reads at 7pm on May 22 and 6am on May 24.
