Elif Shafak is one of my favorite authors writing today — she combines lush, gorgeous storytelling with incredible research and a drop of the fantastic to give us a reading experience like no one else. And There Are Rivers in the Sky is no exception. In fact, it’s my favorite of her novels to date.

This book gives us 4 timelines along 2 historic rivers, the Tigris and the Thames: King Ashurbanipal in Ninevah in the 7th century BC, Arthur in London in the 1800s, Narin in Turkey/Iraq in 2014, and Zaleekah in London in 2018. And all of them are connected by a single drop of water.

This novel is impeccably researched. The audiobook was gorgeously performed, and it was easy to follow that way. That said, as immersive and transportative as it is, it’s also acute — there’s a good deal of pain here. Arthur is impoverished and abused; Narin’s family finds themselves in grave, violent danger; Zaleekah is navigating divorce; and we are given an intimate look at the genocide and persecution of the Yazidi.

I’m a sucker for a book with multiple connected timelines across history, and with Shafak at the helm, there was no way I wasn’t going to love this book. Pick it up — I bet you’ll love it, too.




Content and Trigger Warnings:
Genocide, violence, and murder; Racism; Child abuse; Homophobia; Alcoholism (minor); Suicidal thoughts (minor)

So emotional and moving. Elif Shafak is great at creating these stories and characters that grab onto your heartstrings and never let you go. Just wonderful!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

3.5 - While I did really enjoy these characters and how all their stories intertwined, along with the mythology and storytelling, for some reason the changing periods threw me off. The writing was absolutely gorgeous, and I really connected with some of the later characters in the story, especially Narin and Zaleekah. I also loved the concept of the single drop of water connecting all humans and how all of our stories ebb and flow and come from the same start.

There Are Rivers in the Sky is an impressive feat of storytelling, telling the stories of three different characters, all who emerged from the Epic of Gilgamesh and the ruins of Mesopotamia. Arthur has suffered his entire life, having to deal with an abusive father and mentally ill mother from a young age, who tries to use his brilliant mind to escape the life he was born into. Narin lives in the 21st century, suffering from a rare disorder, and is waiting to be baptized in the river Tigres. Zaleekah is a scientist who is studying water. All three of these characters emerge out of a single drop of water and are connected by the concept of the ever flowing and changing water surrounding them.

As the story went along, I did find myself connecting to the characters more and really appreciating Shafak's storytelling ability. The focus on water and all that it encompasses was so unique. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing me with this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

I *loved* THE ISLAND OF MISSING TREES and was sooo excited for RIVERS. Marketed as an epic tale, spanning centuries and countries.. I was *so* ready to be wowed. But, I wasn’t. And I’m so sad about it!

I don’t think this was bad, per se. But it wasn’t great all the time. There were 3 main POVs and timelines (Arthur in Britain in the 1800s, Narin in Iraq in 2014 and Zaleekah in Britain in 2018) and Shafak sets the scene and stage for them all to come together. Unfortunately, she took approximately 60% of the book to slowly set the scene. It was a lot of work for what was, IMO, a small reward. I keep chugging a long because I thought I would be wowed at how she made it all connected in the end but I wasn’t.

I will say, Shafak’s writing is undoubtedly beautiful. The storytelling, when I wasn’t bored to death, was quite good. For example, the beginning of Arthur’s story and the end of Zaleekah’s were both great but the flip side of both were painfully slow. (Of note, sweet Narin’s story was always very good and always very heartbreaking). There were even some very important and informational parts - especially Narin’s - that I think a lot of people should read about! But the pacing took away from me loving this one.

It kind of sounds like I hated it but I didn’t. I think it’s a solid book with a lot of good parts. But from all of the RAVE reviews, I thought I would love it.💔I don’t want to dissuade people though because I think I’m in the minority for sure!

If you can vibe with a blend of literary and historical fiction with elements of magical realism, you just might love this. Shafak is known for beautiful prose and unique stories. This meets that expectation. It didn't beat The Island of Missing Trees for me but it's still great and I recommend it.

I admit that it did take me a couple of tries to get into it, but I think this is just one of those books you have to be in the right headspace for. And for some sections, I used the audio version as well to push through. It's not a light book you just pick up here and there. But, when the reader is ready and focused (yes, I think her books require focus and true attention) the experience is enchanting and memorable.

The events of this sweeping, gorgeous novel span from Mesopotamia where King Ashurbanipal hoards in his vast library copies of the Epic of Gilgamesh while his people struggle to survive; to turn-of-the twentieth century London, where one marvel of a man decodes cuneiform at the British Museum; from modern-day 2014 Turkey, where a young Yadizi woman and her grandmother seek a cure in ISIS-controlled Iraq; to 2018 London where a hydrologist struggles to come to terms with heartbreak and calamity. All four stories intersect where life-nourishing water flows.

This was an amazing story. I underlined so many passages that resonated with me–Shafak is a poet and master storyteller. I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction and complex, thought-provoking, pithy storytelling. This was my favorite book of the summer, so far the best book of 2024 for me.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for access to the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are my own, and I’m not compensated for my review.

In this sweeping epic we follow 3 protagonists. In 2014 we read of Nira, a 9 year old, hearing impaired, Kurdish girl from a small village in Turkey, traveling to dangerous Nineveh amid Kurdish extermination in order to be baptized in the river there. In 2018 London, Zaleekhah, a stoic, melancholic doctor of water amid a marriage breakup and life implosion of her own self pitying making. In 1850-1876 King Arthur Smyth of the Slums is an extremely impoverished, brilliant, eidetic young man who becomes a self taught scholar and renowned expert on ancient Mesopotamian writings, who finally travels to Nineveh in search of a tablet with 17 missing lines to a lost poem. This poetic story is infused with historical and research facts in addition to parables and ancient stories woven throughout. It is richly character driven with these varying rivers from England to the Middle East. Seeded throughout is the continuity and memory and rebirth of water, down to droplets of rain. I found I was impatient for each of their stories to materialize. It was a lovely written book. Thank you to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf of Borzoi Books.

There Are Rivers in the Sky is a big book in terms of ideas, writing style and plotlines. It combines science, religion, history and literature. It’s the very definition of epic. It’s like a huge tapestry, weaving people and objects across the time periods. And through each story, the power of water.
The story jumps back and forth between the Middle East, specifically the Tigris River in Turkey and Iraq and the River Thames in London, between 660 BC,1840, 2014 and 2018 and between three diverse characters.
In 1840, Arthur lands a job at a publishing house in London thanks to his photographic memory. He develops a fascination with the book, Nineveh and Its Remains, which in turn leads to him translating cuneiform tablets. Arthur is based on the real life George Smith, the first man to translate the Epic of Gilgamesh into English. His story was the most appealing, covering the discoveries of that time period.
In 2014, Narin, a 10 year old Yazidi girl, is slowly going deaf due to a genetic disorder. Her grandmother is determined that she be baptized in the temple in Iraq. This section taught me about the Yazid faith and the persecution of their sect.
And in 2018, Zaleekah is a hydrologist in London studying the effects of climate change on water. She has just left her husband, moved into a houseboat on the Thames and is looking to find meaning in her life. I loved learning about hidden rivers in her section.
All three of these characters and their stories immediately drew me in. And I was entranced by Shafak’s ability to interweave these stories together into a meaningful whole. The ending has literally left me a bit shellshocked.
Each different section taught me something new. It combines the best parts of historical and literary fiction. As much as it taught me, it also sent me down numerous rabbit holes trying to learn more. This may end up being my number one favorite book of 2024.
This is a book that begs to be read by a book club. I will also be amazed if it doesn’t end up on the lists for all the big prizes.
My thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for an advance copy of this book.

This was easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. The prose is gorgeous, the storylines blend magically, and the level of class analysis and advocacy for the global south is loud. This is literature at its finest.

Elif Shafak is an absolute magician. This book was so intricate, interesting, and well-researched. I loved the little clues in each character's story that linked them to other characters and story lines. Most were inconsequential to the overall plot, but the little symbols were there for the attentive reader. Each of the three (well...four if you count the opening chapter in Nineveh) characters' stories could almost stand alone, but yet they were all tied together. Symbolism of and working with water abounds -- rivers, droplets, water dowsers, water scientists, potable water, mudlarks, and more. You know it's a good novel when you find yourself googling background information -- cuneiform, was Arthur Smyth real, lamassu, Nineveh, maps of Mesopotamia,. British museum, Mosul, Yazidis, etc etc. I learned a lot.

Although I loved this book a few things that I wish were different. I wish there was more story line based in ancient Mesopotamia. The opening chapter got me hooked but then there were no more chapters set in that ancient timeline. Maybe that is deliberate -- it's an unknowable time period in many ways, but the civilization keeps popping up in different ways in the modern story lines. The book also just felt long to me. I also don't know what I would cut out? Go into it knowing it will use your full brain and attention. The reward of this special novel is there if you are paying close attention.

I am not the biggest fan of literary fiction but I do appreciate the historical elements that Shafak weaves into her novels. I really liked the characters and their journeys in this novel. The three different POVs were well done and thought out - Arthur was my favorite - but I probably would liked just one singular story about any of the characters. The book has beautifully written sections of it, especially when the grandmother is talking about her ancestors and the stories of her people. These parts felt like I was reading a whole different book. Ultimately though, I have to get through so much fluff and uneventful parts just to get to the last section of the book to really have enjoyed it. It could have easily been a shorter book and gotten to the end much faster.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak is an extraordinary literary journey, and I am beyond excited to give it 5 stars. This epic narrative spans different time periods and continents, connecting seemingly disparate lives through the profound symbol of water. With stunning prose and meticulous research, Shafak masterfully weaves together the stories of three characters—Arthur Smith, Zaleekah, and Narin—united by the ancient city of Nineveh and the timeless flow of water. The brilliance of this book lies not just in its intricate storytelling but also in the emotional depth Shafak brings to each character and their journey.

Arthur Smith, modeled on the real-life Assyriologist George Smith, is a standout in the novel. Born in London’s slums, his journey from a publishing house to the exploration of Nineveh’s lost treasures is awe-inspiring. The way his intellectual curiosity transforms into a passionate quest for understanding the ancient world is both gripping and emotionally resonant. His fascination with the lamassus sculptures and cuneiform tablets adds a layer of historical intrigue that deepens the connection between past and present.

Zaleekah, living in more recent times, offers a fresh and deeply personal perspective. Her fascination with water’s life cycle and her eventual move to a houseboat give the narrative a meditative quality. I found her reflections on life, choice, and connection to history compelling. Through her, Shafak introduces a philosophical lens, exploring the cyclical nature of water and memory, and how both shape human history.

Narin, the young Yazidi girl living along the Tigris, adds a layer of urgency to the novel, as her story intertwines with the rise of ISIS and the destruction of ancient landscapes. Shafak’s portrayal of Narin’s journey with her grandmother to be baptized in the sacred Valley of Lalish is deeply moving. It highlights the resilience of Yazidi culture and the devastating impact of modern conflicts on ancient traditions.

Shafak’s ability to bring these three timelines together in a cohesive, emotionally charged narrative is a testament to her storytelling prowess. The history of Nineveh, from its grand libraries to its fiery destruction, is seamlessly interwoven with the characters’ lives. I found myself completely immersed in this vast, multilayered world, moved not only by the characters but by the overarching themes of destruction, memory, and survival.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with an advance review copy. This book is an absolute masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Five stars truly don’t feel like enough to capture the brilliance of There Are Rivers in the Sky.

Elif Shafak’s "There Are Rivers in the Sky" is an extraordinary work of art, effortlessly weaving together multiple timelines and cultures with a lyrical beauty that makes it truly unforgettable. The novel, centered around the Tigris and Thames rivers, explores the fluidity of memory, history, and human connection.

The story spans centuries, linking the lives of Arthur, a poor London boy in 1840, Narin, a Yazidi girl in war-torn Turkey, and Zaleekah, a modern-day hydrologist facing her own existential crisis. Each of these characters is deeply affected by the rivers that define their landscapes, and Shafak masterfully connects their stories through the enduring power of water and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The novel profoundly explores themes of trauma, displacement, and the longing for home. Narin’s struggle to hold onto her heritage in the face of war, and Zaleekah’s journey of rediscovery after personal loss, are deeply moving.

"There Are Rivers in the Sky" is a masterful, meditative exploration of life, loss, and the ties that bind us across time and space. This is an absolute must-read!

Pathed Waters, Dreamed Shores

“Later, when the storm has passed, everyone will talk about the destruction it left behind, though no one, not even the king himself, will remember that it all began with a single raindrop.” So begins “There are Rivers in the Sky.”

Thousands of years ago, on the banks of the Tigris River in Nineveh, the world’s largest and wealthiest city, a single raindrop fell on its king, Ashurbanipal. The raindrop, before dissolving and returning to the sky, bears witness to the king cruelly setting fire to his mentor, a man who has betrayed him.

This drop of water falls, thousands of years later, on a newborn, Arthur, in 1840, on the banks of the Thames. Springing ahead to Turkey in 2014, a young Yazidi girl, Narin, touches a drop of water which was to have been part of her baptism in the Tigris. Finally, in 2018, a hydrologist by the name of Zaleekhah, is moving into a houseboat on the Thames. A tear falls from her eye– water once a snowflake or a wisp of steam. These three characters are all connected by the endless threaded journey of a single drop.

Aquatic memory. “Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

Arthur’s people christened him King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums. Based on a historical figure, George Smith, Arthur is born into the most adjunct poverty. He has hyperthymesia, an extremely rare condition which allows tremendous amounts of sharply edged details to be recalled. He becomes obsessed with a book, “Nineveh and Its Remains,” and stumbles onto Assyrian tablets in the British Museum, tablets he alone seems able to decipher. His life’s goal focuses on chasing the completion of “a poem.”

A substantial amount of Elif Shafak’s message on water is brought out by Zaleekhah. As a water scientist she gives voice to climate crisis - water crisis issues. Man has sought to control river shapes– burying rivers by boxing them in concrete, covering them with dirt, and building over them. Water has been weaponized, too, throughout history, reshaping the flow of rivers in order to benefit, as well as to devastate.

Young Narin’s passages stress the suffering her people have been subject to throughout history. Dehumanized with labels like “devil worshipers,” it is said the Yazidis have been massacred seventy-two times… from antiquity to ISIS. At one point Arthur is sickened when he hears an official judgment on breaking promises to these infidels, ’‘...the Yazidis are kaffirs. Therefore, you do not need to worry about lying to them. In the eyes of God, it is lawful to snare a heathen; you can deceive them into thinking you mean them no harm and then do with them as you please.’

Sprawling? Absolutely. A lot of ground is covered, a lot of history. This is all tied together with more than just that traveling drop of water. The amount of research required here is staggering, but the characters, the information, and plot twists prevent it from sinking under its own weight. There is so much fascinating world history here, presented in a way rarely uncovered in the classroom.

“And what is passion if not a restlessness of the heart, an intense yearning to surpass your limits, like a river overflowing its banks?”

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #ThereAreRiversintheSky #NetGalley

I was first introduced to Shafak when I read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - a book I LOVED and remains on my “Favorites“ shelf. Though I haven’t read any of her other novels, I was so happy to receive this one in the mail and couldn’t read it fast enough. Though slightly intimidated by the size and scope of the book, I was instantly invested in the story and couldn’t put it down.

It starts with a single drop of water. That drop begins a tale that weaves through three main characters, several different countries, and through centuries of time. Ultimately, we learn about the ancient city of Nineveh and Mesopotamia - believed to be the center of civilization.

Once again, Shafak stuns her readers with lyrical prose; themes of connection and love; and a belief that we must learn from the past to change the future. Even though this book was about 500 pages long, I could have remained with these characters and in this story for much longer.

Reminiscent of The Convent of Water, this one will be a favorite of the year!

A slow but lovely journey that allowed me to become immersed in all the storyline. All the characters touched my heart.

4.5 stars

I loved Elif Shfak's novel 'The Island of Missing Trees', so when I saw the author's new book, 'There Are Rivers in the Sky', I snapped it right up.

This sweeping novel extends over millennia, and by way of a drop of water, takes us from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Europe and back to the Middle East. In the course of the water cycle, H₂O falls as precipitation; lands on people, places and things; drains into waterways; travels far and wide; evaporates; forms clouds; gets buffeted by winds; and eventually falls as precipitation again. Thus, over a period of 2500 years, a water droplet that once nestled in the hair of an ancient Mesopotamian king can land as a snowflake on a British baby; be sipped by a girl in Iraq; fall as a teardrop in England; and so on. This story revolves around three major waterways: the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in the Middle East, and the River Thames in London.

The book opens in the palace of King Ashurbanipal, who rules the vast Mesopotamian Empire - near the Tigris-Euphrates River System - in the 600s BCE. Ashurbanipal is one of the most brutal rulers of the era, known for horrendous cruelty and genocides. Conversely, the king is very interested in the literature and art of Mesopotamia, and he assembles a vast library in the city of Nineveh, many of the contents having been looted from conquered states. Ashurbanipal's favorite literary work is the 'Epic of Gilgamesh', and his most treasured copy of the work is inscribed in cuneiform on a slab of lapis lazuli.

Ashurbanipal's library is destroyed and buried towards the end of his reign, when Nineveh is attacked by the king's enemies. Centuries later, European archaeologists unearth many of the library's contents - tablets, statues, artworks, etc. - and make off with the treasures. The tablets are in pieces, and modern scholars can't read the cuneiform markings, so most Mesopotamian tablets are contained in museum storerooms.

The book now enters the modern and contemporary eras, and the story rotates among three main characters: an English fellow named Arthur Smyth; a Yazidi girl called Narin; and an Iraqi-British hydrologist called Dr. Zaleekhah Clarke. I'll give a nutshell description of each character's role in the story.

➽ Arthur Smyth

In 1840, an impoverished mudlarker (scavenger) gives birth to a baby on the riverbank of London's River Thames. The woman's mudlarking companions name the mite 'King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums', which perfectly describes little Arthur Smyth's life. Young Arthur grows up in a cold dirty crowded London flat; wears rags; is hungry all the time; and is mistreated by his lazy good-for-nothing father, who drinks away any pennies Arthur's mother manages to collect.

Arthur is no ordinary boy though. Arthur Smyth is gifted with an extraordinary memory - visual, verbal, and sensory. Arthur remembers every moment of his life - and everything he sees, reads, hears, experiences, etc. - from the second he was born. When Arthur is an adolescent, his unique gift gets him hired by London's Bradbury and Evans Publishers, where Arthur learns the business from the bottom up.....and even gets to meet Charles Dickens. A visit to the British Museum exposes Arthur to tablets from Nineveh, and - using his exceptional abilities - Arthur teaches himself to decipher the cuneiform inscriptions.

Employed by the British Museum, Arthur comes upon fragments of the 'Epic of Gilgamesh', and becomes obsessed with the poem. The museum is missing some pieces of the saga, however, and - after much time and preparation - Arthur travels to Nineveh to dig up the lost bits. In Nineveh, Arthur meets a Yazidi community, which has a profound effect on his life.

➽ Narin

In 2014, nine-year-old Narin is a Yazidi girl living with her grandmother in the Turkish hamlet of Hasankeyf, near the Tigris River. Hasankeyf will soon be flooded by a new dam, and the residents will be displaced from their homes. This is just one more challenge in the lives of the Yazidis, who are erroneously called 'devil-worshippers', and who have been persecuted, enslaved, murdered, raped, and so on from time immemorial.

To honor their spiritual beliefs, Grandma wants Narin to be baptized in her ancestral home, the Valley of Lalish in Iraq. Shortly before the flooding of Hasankeyf, Grandma and Narin travel to Iraq. Unfortunately, this is a time when members of ISIS are roaming the country, murdering Yazidis and abducting young Yazidi girls to sell.

Author Elif Shafak doesn't skimp on describing the genocide of the Yazidis, and the scenes are stomach-churning and appalling. (It makes one really skeptical about humanity, that's for sure.)

➽ Dr. Zaleekhah Clarke

Zaleekhah Clarke lost her parents in a flash flood in Turkey when she was seven-years-old. Zaleekhah's wealthy Uncle Malek, who had emigrated to England, came to Turkey to fetch the girl. So Zaleekhah grew up in a luxurious London home with Uncle Malek, Aunt Malek, and their daughter Helen, who was like a sister to Zaleekhah.

It's now 2018, and 31-year-old Zaleekhah is a hydrologist and college professor. Zaleekhah's mentor, Professor Berenberg - an eminent hydrologist, biochemist, and climate scientist - had a hypothesis he called 'aquatic memory'. "Berenberg argued that, under certain circumstances, water - the universal solvent - retained evidence, or 'memory', of the solute particles that had dissolved in it, no matter how many times it was diluted or purified.....Water, in other words, remembered." Berenberg thought that if he could prove that water possessed some kind of memory, this would have groundbreaking implications for hydrology, biology, medicine, homeopathy, and various methods of healing. Sadly, when Berenberg published his findings, he was lambasted by other researchers and his reputation was tarnished.

Zaleekhah is now writing a paper on aquatic memory, and though she once feared being ridiculed like Berenberg, Zaleekhah no longer cares. Zaleekhah is depressed, getting divorced, moving into a houseboat on the River Thames, and thinking about suicide. Nevertheless, Zaleekhah feels guilty about killing herself because her cousin Helen has a very sick daughter who requires a kidney transplant, and Helen needs Zaleekhah's support.

As it happens, Zaleekhah is renting the houseboat from a female tattoo artist called Nen, who's very knowledgeable about ancient Mesopotamia. Nen specializes in cuneiform tattoos, and bakes biscuits with cuneiform symbols. The women find they have a lot in common and become friendly.

At the book's climax, all these story lines - Arthur Smyth, Narin, and Zaleekhah Clarke - come together in a very inventive way.

I enjoyed the book, and learned a good deal about rivers. It's sad that people throughout history have made rivers into garbage dumps, using waterways to dispose of human waste, dead bodies, industrial effluents, and every kind of pollutant. This leads to terrible smells, dead fish, disease-causing microbes, and ecological disasters.

I didn't know that some major rivers, like the Bièvre in France, have been covered over. Zaleekhah observes, "It was an important waterway until the nineteenth century, when it became heavily polluted. They covered it over and basically forgot about it. The tourists who walk around Paris today admire the Seine, but they don't realize there's another river flowing beneath their feet." And there are other 'lost rivers' - rivers that have been covered over - in New York, London, Vienna, São Paulo, Sydney, Beijing, Moscow, Toronto, Tokyo, Athens, and elsewhere. Who knew, right??

This is a very good novel with a triplet of fascinating stories. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Elif Shafak, and Knopf for a copy of the book.

It has never happened that 125 pages in, I wanted to write down my thoughts and reviews on the book. This book is phenomenal! It is so brilliant that I rushed to my pre-loved book store to get two of her books available—10 minutes and 38 minutes and The Island of Missing Trees. Her writing gripped me from the first paragraph. She is genuinely a poetess without making it too flowery. The characters she weaves, the history, and the traveling from 600 BC to 2018 are magical. The author's writing is genuinely brilliant and captivating.

This book is meant to be savored, offering a slow yet beautiful reading experience. But I had to share my raw emotions as I continued to revel in Elif Shafak's writing.

I wholeheartedly give it a resounding five stars.

I'm grateful to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to review this outstanding piece of literature.

Threading three storylines together, this book takes a little time to develop, but richly rewards the reader that sticks with it. With one storyline far in the past and two quite recent, we see the lives of three characters as shaped by many forces, including the epic of Gilgamesh and 2 mighty rivers: the Tigris and the Thames. The relation of the storylines to each other is revealed by the end in a very satisfying way. Shafak uses water to show how closely we are all connected to one another in a way that’s really beautiful. I thought this book was fantastic and wonder how it’s possible that Shafak just keeps getting better and better.