The Water That May Come by Amy Lilwall

by Amy Lilwall

As rising seas threaten to engulf Britain, four lives are on the brink:

Pinko, a privileged heir clinging to decadence; Jane, a working-class veterinary nurse racing to reunite her family; her pregnant teenage daughter Ashleigh, grappling with impending motherhood; and humble young artist Gavin.

With sanctuary beckoning across the Channel, each faces impossible choices. Who will they save? What will they sacrifice?

A lyrical, thought-provoking novel that blurs borders and challenges notions of identity and belonging.

In a future where we all may become refugees, it asks: How far would you go to stay afloat?

380 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

After studying at Kent University, Amy Lilwall went onto a Master's in The Contemporary Novel and a PhD in Creative Writing. She lives in Falmouth, Cornwall.

Reviews

[Emma Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find the term “cli fi” a bit irritating. I prefer Adam Trexler’s “Anthropecene Fictions,” which better (though not perfectly: see the various criticisms of the term ‘Anthropocene’) recognises the relationship novels have to the reality of climate change. The Anthropocene encompasses more than the climate: it’s a massive, weird event that disrupts everything we think we know about what is “natural” and “normal.” We’re living Ghosh’s Great Derangement. I think this is a novel which grapples with the question of how absurd “business as normal” can be, but also with who really has the power to dictate what “normal” really is.

The setting is the 2030s, when “business as usual” is beginning to break down. There is advance knowledge of an impending natural disaster: an Icelandic volcano will erupt and send a tsunami across the British Isles. The volcano is personified at the start and end of the book, in snippets that suggest that the agency of nature will be more central in the book. This isn’t the case. The story is more about the interlocking lives of a group of characters as they navigate loves and losses, against a backdrop of impending doom. I suppose the glimpse of nature’s agency at the beginning is meant to compliment the questions about agency that recur through the book - what does agency mean when you’re limited by poverty, by draconian “intimacy laws” - but I would have liked to get more of a sense of this. There’s an enigmatic figure called Padre who seemed to supply an opportunity to develop this a bit more fully, but it didn’t quite come together. Instead, the novel is more concerned about the lives of its human protagonists - which is fair, I just really loved the passages with the volcano and would have loved to see more.

There’s some really inventive and imaginative stuff around the disaster itself, and some really interesting insights into how culture responds to its (potential) impending end. This is a lot more interesting to me than the misunderstanding that drives much of the novel’s central section. There was a point where I felt they would have figured it out much sooner.

Thanks to Isabelle at Fly on the Wall for the advance copy!

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is crazy good I really recommend this book! Mind boggling and very good. I saw it compared (maybe the wrong word) to the handmaids tale and I who have never known men and it really does fit in that sphere of dystopian yet familiar and very thought provoking. And the last page was brilliant

[Wendy(Wendyreadsbooks) Robey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cleverly written stark reminder of what could be.
Each of the characters has their own story and I found it fascinating how each was impacted by the situation they found themselves in. The theme of climate change is evident throughout and yet it’s the character’s story that steals the show and leaves that lasting impression.
A tale of humanity and how we as humans find strength in eachother.

[Lauren Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Water That May Come is a striking novel in which Amy tackles pressing issues of climate change, social inequality, and the power of privilege. Set against the backdrop of a near-future Britain on the brink of collapse from rising seas, this work of climate fiction is both unsettling and thought-provoking.

This is a must read for fans of dystopian literature, environmental fiction, and speculative novels that push you to confront questions of survival, belonging, and an uncertain future.

[Gill Chedgey · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A volcano in Iceland – beautifully personified – threatens to unleash a super tsunami that will engulf the UK in uninhabitable floods, though no one can be certain when. With the whole country seeking to evacuate but facing barriers such as the Intimacy Laws, whereby singles are not allowed to emigrate and couples have to prove a consummated marriage in front of a jury before being allowed entry to France and wider Europe, a fascinating and diverse cast of eccentric characters are mixed up in a tangled web of mistakes, lies, deceit and betrayal.
This is a novel for our times, tackling themes of social injustice, migration, environmental disruption and family breakdown, that kept me fully engaged, hoping and despairing, rooting for the characters and being utterly frustrated by them in turn – such is life, especially when pushed to its limits and beyond by a looming existential threat.

[T.O. Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an ARC of this book from the publisher 'Fly on the Wall press' and - in keeping with the publisher's mission statement of 'a publisher with a conscience' - this is a book that explores some serious themes around climate change catastrophes, the protections granted by wealth, and the indignities thrust upon refugees.

However, Lilwall interrogates these themes within an unfailingly entertaining narrative of compelling and relatable characters.

A full review is available on the fantasy hive here. For now it is suffice to say

The beautifully crafted prose delivers some serious narrative gut-punches and leaves the reader reflecting on what they have just read and hoping to read more.

[Shivang · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an incredible story about four people whose lives intertwine in unfamiliar ways, and how 'the water that might come' plays a role in all of it. this is a story about strength, need, resilience and, most importantly, as all stories are--love.
the prose is fresh and immersive. Amy is a brilliant writer, and this book will be held for many years as the pinnacle of her art form.