Floating World (Babst) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
In scripture, the great flood was a purifying event. When, after 40 days and nights, the rain ceased and the waters receded, wickedness had been cleansed from the earth. (It grew back stronger than ever, but never mind.) But real floods, C. Morgan Babst reminds us in The Floating World…  don’t wash away human contamination; they bring it to the surface.
Sam Sacks - Wall Street Journal


The Floating World is the most striking New Orleans novel inspired by Hurricane Katrina so far, a story as complex and nonlinear as the map of the Crescent City, interweaving the troubles caused by the storm with the specific difficulties one family already faced before the first raindrop fell.
Marion Winik - Newsday


Set in New Orleans, this important and powerful novel follows the Boisdore family…in the months after Katrina. A profound, moving and authentically detailed picture of the storm’s emotional impact on those who lived through it.
People


C. Morgan Babst's portrait of a troubled New Orleans family that fractures further during and after Hurricane Katrina is poetic and suspenseful.… [A]n ambitious novel.
NPR.org


This is a spot-on examination of race and the tumult natural disasters leave in their wake.
Marie Claire


This powerful family drama (with a mystery at its core) promises to be an emotional read. A dazzling debut about family, home, and grief, The Floating World takes readers into the heart of Hurricane Katrina with the story of the Boisdores, whose roots stretch back nearly to the foundation of New Orleans.
Paste Magazine


This unforgettable and timely novel tells the story of those who lost everything in the hurricane and the lives they sought to rebuild.
RealSimple.com


Set in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this wrenching and hypnotic book will give you chills with its descriptions of the flooding.
Bustle


Babst’s tightly written debut focuses on the fractured Boisdore clan, whose familial tensions are brought to a head in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.… [T]his is a riveting novel about the inescapable pull of family.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) A richly written, soak-in-it kind of book.… The mystery of what really happened unfolds with breath-holding poignancy throughout the shifting narrative.… Utterly affecting.
Library Journal


(Starred review.) [A] powerful, important novel.… Deeply felt and beautifully written; a major addition to the literature of Katrina.
Kirkus Reviews