Elif Shafak's There Are Rivers in the Sky is a mesmerizing tale that spans centuries and continents, weaving together the lives of three individuals whose fates are intertwined by the powerful currents of history and literature.

The narrative begins in ancient Mesopotamia, where the legendary King Ashurbanipal's great library stands as a testament to human knowledge and ambition. From the ruins of this once-majestic institution emerges the Epic of Gilgamesh, a timeless poem that serves as a guiding force for the characters that follow.

In 1840s London, we meet Arthur, a young boy born into poverty alongside the polluted banks of the River Thames. Despite his harsh circumstances, Arthur possesses a remarkable memory that propels him into a world of books and learning. His journey intersects with the discovery of Nineveh and Its Remains, igniting a thirst for knowledge that transcends time and place.

Fast forward to modern-day Turkey, where Narin, a Yazidi girl facing a devastating illness, grapples with the looming threat of ISIS and the destruction of her ancestral homeland along the Tigris River. As she confronts the fragility of life, Narin's story converges with that of Zaleekah, a newly divorced hydrologist seeking solace on the houseboats of the Thames. Through a mysterious book about her homeland, Zaleekah finds herself on a journey of self-discovery and redemption.

Shafak's masterful storytelling effortlessly navigates across centuries and continents, seamlessly blending historical detail with poetic prose. Through the interconnected lives of Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekah, she explores themes of resilience, identity, and the enduring power of literature to shape our understanding of the world.

There Are Rivers in the Sky is a captivating exploration of the human experience, a poignant reminder that while our lives may be fleeting, the stories we leave behind have the power to transcend time and space. Shafak's novel is a testament to the enduring legacy of literature and the profound impact it can have on our lives.

This beautifully written and heart-piercing novel indeed flows like a river. It traces the anguished life path of three characters connected by their Yazidi heritage and a lapis lazuli tablet etched with a lost fragment of the Epic of Gilgamesh. One single raindrop cycles through the water table and touches their lives, beginning with the cruel reign of the Librarian King of Mesopotamia, Ashurbanipal. In turn the drop falls or is drunk by a neurodivergent genius foundling in 19th century London, named King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums; Narin, a modern Yazidi girl who turns nine years old during the 2014 Iraq war; and Zaleekhah, a climate scientist in 2018 who is breaking up with her husband and unsure of where her life is going next.

Shafak’s gorgeous writing addresses huge themes of female erasure, patriarchal violence, religious persecution, and broken relationships, but all in the non-preachy context of real human beings and their stories. Arthur is the first one to crack the code of Mesopotamian cuneiform by traveling to Iraq and meeting the Yazidis, but he fails to understand the basic codes of human interaction. Zaleekhah is all too aware of the perils of climate change while struggling to understand herself and her true identity, as well as reject the oppressive parts of her wealthy immigrant family system. And Narin’s story is another tragic incident of innocent minorities literally slaughtered at the hands of those who enjoy violence and rape in the name of religious orthodoxy.

I knew literally nothing about the Yazidis before reading this novel, including their fascinating religious system (including the Peacock Angel who shepherded the first humans in the world). But Shafak does a masterful job of introducing wide swaths of history through people I loved while being miles apart in our cultural identities. The last pages of the book literally made me gasp out loud and weep with their cruelty, but it still ends with a hopeful note as the drop of water slides back into the mighty river that never ceases to flow.

I so badly wanted to love this story intricately weaving water through time. Unfortunately, I felt like it could be easily 100 pages shorter and I really found myself bored often. Sometimes the book picked up pace, but it often lagged. I never got attached to any particular character and I constantly found myself wishing for the book to end. That being said, it is a very well written book with incredible concepts

What a strange, beautiful and complicated book. Interviewing the stories of four distinct narrators over millennia and continents united by a drop of water and connection to an ancient poem (the Epic of Gilgamesh). At times, the story was desperately brutal and sad, particularly the sections about religious persecution and the evil done in the name of God. At other times, it was sweet and hopeful, with a reminder of the importance of art and poetry to maintaining our humanity. Recommended. Well worth the read. I predict this will be a best seller and award winner.

Thank you @netgalley and @knopf for the eARC of There Are Rivers in the Sky by @shafakelifin exchange for an honest review.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 There Are Rivers in the Sky is one on those rare novels that you open and just know it is going to be a five star read. Immaculately written, powerfully poetic, and immeasurably spanning across time, Elif Shafak provides us with a stunning masterpiece. From the mighty banks of the Tigris, to the majestic banks of the Thames, ancient kings to modern men, these stories are intricately woven together like waters merging seamlessly in a current. An absolutely breathtaking read that will resonate to the very core.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram well ahead of the publication date!

This author takes us across centuries and time . He writes in a lyrical and evocative way and keeps you engaged in his narrative. This would be a good one for book clubs

I thoroughly enjoyed Elif Shafak's "There Are Rivers in the Sky". The novel is a literary masterpiece that transcends conventional storytelling. With its poetic prose and intricate narrative, the book invites us into a world where every sentence is a brushstroke in a larger, mesmerizing picture. Shafak weaves a tale that is as engaging as it is profound, crafting characters that resonate with depth and authenticity, all linked beautifully through the constant presence of water. The plot, a stunningly beautiful puzzle, unfolds with such grace that each revelation feels both surprising and inevitable. As the final pieces click into place, we are left in awe of the journey we have taken, a testament to Shafak's skill as a storyteller.
"There Are Rivers in the Sky" is a celebration of the human spirit and the complexity of life, a reminder of the beauty and importance of water and how it is ever present in our lives and in our history, connecting all of us.

I really enjoyed the use of going across different centuries. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this book. It left me wanting to read more in this story and glad I was able to read this. Elif Shafak has a great writing style and enjoyed the overall feel of this story.

The several stories told within here span different times, and in turn have different core characters, different plots, and their own separate moments of intense tragedy and uplifting joy - but they also constantly cross one another, sharing imagery, history, and themes. It’s a bit like a single river carrying multiple different currents. And no matter which plotline I found myself in, there was never a moment where I wasn’t enjoying the reading experience to the fullest. Shafak’s characters were wonderfully real and complex, her writing was vivid and immersive, and I loved every little detail about ancient Mesopotamian history or the Yazidi people that richly permeated every single individual narrative. This is definitely an excellent addition to any library shelf (be it public, academic, or personal home collection), and honestly, it’s currently my favorite historical fiction read of 2024.

A powerful story, moving across centuries about the Yazhidi people who have been mistreated across cultures.

I received an email copy through Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

Shafak's beautiful novel covers three main characters from different times and places, yet they are linked together through the novel. This novel is imaginative and historical. All the blurbs already cover the fascinating Mesopotamian themes which link the characters, something I found intriguing, and even more so, was how a drop of water was linked from the first page to the last. The novel makes you think about the people who are enslaved today, the brutal methods of killing used by ISIS, the strength of curiosity, and passionate love of others, of how we treat other humans, the soil, air, and water, and the power of memory..

When I was teaching the water cycle to elementary students we said things like a drop of water could be from a glass of water George Washington drank. This book expands wonderfully on the idea that water travels the world and we should appreciate it, while describing cultures in the Mideast, and helping us recognize the deep connection of climate change to all we hold dear. A new dam sounds like good progress until we realize how difficult it is for a population to relocate, and how emotionally costly are the disruptions to their lives. This text makes it painfully clear while lifting our awareness of beautiful cultures, especially the Yazidis (which helped me understand them). The pain people have to endure, the sufferings of the Earth, and ties between generations are brought to life with the impressive writing skills of the author. Many generic human truths applicable to any person anywhere are included. I preordered a book to enable highlighting when I reread There Are Rivers in the Sky, as I felt many statements should not be forgotten post reading. This is an important book to reread and savor.

I have only read one previous work from the author and was eagerly looking forward to this one. Glad to say that this one does not disappoint.

While the trope of storylines from different eras has been done many times before, it's the beautiful writing that makes this work stand apart. Very engaging storyline with very well developed characters

My thanks for the ARC. It was a story that follows water through three people who are connected by waters from the Tigris. It seemed reminiscent of Cloud Atlas. The stories are each engaging and have drama in each one.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it at first, but then it haunted me and was impossible to put down. Arthur, Narin and Zaleekah are all at once very diverse and also the same POV as we explore their relationship to water in this book which brings us through the water cycle of how a single drop of water keeps moving through time. The cruelty of humans to each other in this book is quite devastating and it's hard to believe that it still occurs in the world even today as people who think they are different from each other kill and hurt one another. A book that will stay with me.

Great retelling. Very imaginative and interesting. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I’ve read several of Elif Shafak’s books and have greatly enjoyed them:
….”The Island of the Missing Trees”
…..”The Forty Rules of Love”
“10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World”
…..”Three Daughters of Eve”
…..”The Architect’s Apprentice”
and….
…..”The Bastard of Istanbul”

“There are Rivers in the Sky” is a beautiful book in its thrilling complexity of design and poetic prose. It’s also a weighty novel…..coiling around centuries, history, and collectively a drop of water…..
“Water remembers. It’s humans who forget”.
There are irresistible characters, and an intriguing supporting cast.
There are two highly imaginative rivers,
The largest and wealthiest city,
There is a significant ancient poem,
Experiences of cultures, streams, gardens and other aromatic plants, family power, betrayal, heritage, morality, memories of love and loss….
…..with strength and understandings linked by the “Epic of Gilgamesh.

Elif Shafak created a wholly original, marvelous tapestry. There are delights - surprises - and plenty of touching paths ….
A few times, it feels like a labored love rather than an inspired one….being an incredible ambitious novel.
It starts out really well— shows some few signs of huff and puffs towards the middle …..but then winds up brilliantly.

There are three main narrative strands:
….1840 London > we meet Arthur (he has a brilliant mind). He was born beside the stinking sewage-filled River Thames. His father was an alcoholic. His mother was mentally ill.

….2014 Turkey > we meet Narin….a ten-year-old Yazhidi girl who is diagnosed with a rare disorder that will cause her to go deaf, but before it happens, her mother is determined to baptize her in a sacred rock temple….time is running out due to the rising presents of ISIS destruction of the families, ancestral lands along the Tigris.

….2018 London > Zaleekah, a hydrologist. She is newly divorced and moves into a houseboat on the Thames to escape her husband.

The characters in each of these strands are rich, colorful, and well developed.
Emotional doors are open — both painful and successful ones.
Even with the few times of having to take breaks with my reading…. needing time to think and contemplate, there is absolutely no denying Shafak is a stunning writer/storyteller….and this novel is a grand achievement.

Elif Shafak’s writing gorgeously humane - entertaining- and intelligent.

A few sample excerpts:
“The library is King Ashurbanipal’s proudest creation. His lifetime ambition— more than his military conquests and political victories.
The library will be his legacy for future generations”.,

“The king knows that in order to dominate other cultures, you must capture not only their lands, crops and assets but also their collective imagination, their shared memories”.

“This afternoon, as Ashurbanipal - the leader of the wealthiest empire in the world, the last of the great rulers of the kingdom of Assyria, the third - born son of Esarhaddon but the chosen heir to the throne and his father’s favourite, the patron and founds of a magnificent library that will change the course of history - sets fire to his erstwhile teacher, and burns his childhood memories along with him, the raindrop remains ensconced inside the king’s hair. Alone, small and terrified, it does not dare to move. It will never forget what it has witnessed today. It has been changed - forever. Even after centuries have passed, a trace of this moment will remain embedded in its elemental form”.

“As ripples of heat rise into the air, the raindrop will slowly evaporate. But it won’t disappear. Sooner or later, that tiny translucent bead of water will ascend back to the blue skies. Once there, it will bite its time, waiting to return to this troubled earth
again . . . “.

“Water is both the harbinger of life and the messenger of death”.

4.5 rating up.