I love Elif Shafak, and her recent work combining environment and history has been so touching and lovely. There's a sense of homesickness to her characters, even the ones who never saw the country their families left that is so deeply felt and personal. I can't speak to everyone with family history in Turkey and around it, but for me, it voices that loss in such perfect, cathartic ways. This one took me longer to read than her others, both to start and finish, in part because I found the sadness so strong, but I'm excited for more people to continue discovering her!

“Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

Do you believe that water holds memories?

Through one single drop of water - originally falling as a raindrop onto the head of King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia in the ancient city of Nineveh as he is about to murder his counselor; the same drop evaporating and eventually returning to earth as a snowflake by the river Thames at the birth of Arthur Smyth, a boy with a remarkable mind born into poverty in 1840’s London and fascinated from an early age by all things Mesopotamian; returning once more as a drop of water from a sacred temple in Iraq to Narin, a nine-year-old Yazidi girl about to go deaf living by the river Tigris in Turkey and preparing to travel to Iraq to be baptized; and finally, as a tear shed by hydrologist Zaleekah, living on a houseboat on the river Thames in London in 2018 - the stories of Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekah are all masterfully connected and intertwined in [author:Elif Shafak's|6542440] most ambitious and rewarding work to date.

Not surprisingly, water plays an essential role in this stunning novel, being both a source of life as well as „the messenger of death“, a carrier of disease and destruction, even flooding entire ancient cities. Looming large, too, are ancient Nineveh and its wonders, among them the oldest poem in the world, "The Epic of Gilgamesh", found on clay tablets from King Ashurbanipal’s library.

The amount of research that must have gone into this novel is breathtaking, yet it reads as seamlessly as if it were an entirely fictional account. It also poses the intriguing question - investigated by Zaleekah as a scientific theory, though sadly we don’t hear much more about that - of water being able to hold memories.

This book has cemented why Elif Shafak is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors: while I loved her previous works, „There Are Rivers in the Sky“ feels grander both in scope and in depth, and is even more beautifully written than her other books. It is a long, epic tale - and every one of the three storylines could have been its own book, so rich in detail are they, though Zaleekah’s storyline felt the most undeveloped to me - but it never feels excessive, the story flowing seamlessly between the protagonists and taking the reader along.

Expertly crafted, mesmerizing, and written in heartbreakingly beautiful prose, „There Are Rivers in the Sky“ is one of my favorite books this year.

TW for mental health, suicide, suicidal thoughts, sexual abuse, murder, genocide, ISIS.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"There Are Rivers in the Sky" is slated to be published in August 20, 2024.

There Are Rivers in the Sky takes place over three separate timelines (plus an intro in ancient Mesopotamia), with water serving as a theme and loosely connecting thread (as well as metaphor for topics like immigration). Arthur, a London pauper turned cuneiform scholar, ends up traveling from England to the Ottoman Empire in search of missing tablets of the epic poem of Gilgamesh. Narin, descended from seers in Turkey, is part of the long-persecuted Yazidi people. And Zaleekhah, a divorcing hydrologist in London, is on a personal journey that improbably ends up crossing paths with Narin's. The stories mix together reasonably successfully, although the ending seemingly comes out of nowhere; it's not that it's totally improbable, but more that neither of the contemporary narratives suggest that it would be possible.
The book did give meaningful attention to the areas once in Mesopotamia AND to recent/current atrocities of ISIS and others, including (to put it generously) the indifference of Western nations to destruction of cultural inheritance. That alone made it worth, at times, wading through some draggy parts and cringey dialogue.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Elif Shafak's There Are Rivers in the Sky is a masterfully crafted novel that showcases her remarkable erudition, her ability to create compelling characters and her unique poetic style . The narrative unfolds over different timelines and perspectives, weaving together the lives of three protagonists: Arthur, a Victorian-era scholar in London obsessed with finding the lost poems of the Epic of Gilgamesh ; Narin, a young girl navigating the unrest of 2014 Turkey during the rise of ISIS, with her wise and sensible grandmother ; and Zaleekah, a young water scientist that after getting a divorce moves into a houseboat on the Thames and is struggling to reconcile with her past.

What I found interesting is the what binds these characters together is their connection to the ancient stories carried by the waters of the Tigris and Thames rivers . Shafak's storytelling is not only atmospheric but also rich in historical and cultural layers, where each character in the book is inexorably drawn to these ancient narratives that pierce through their lives in unimaginable ways. I like this idea of stories bringing people together, even across time and place.

The novel stands out for its beautifully written prose and for the depth and resonance of its themes. Shafak explores the weight of history and the ways in which the past continues to shape the present. The shifting timelines and perspectives create a tapestry of connections, highlighting the timelessness of human experience.

It’s a fantastic novel and one of the most memorable and anticipated books of the year. Shafak's ability to blend history, mythology, and contemporary issues into a compelling narrative makes this book a must read if you’re interested in literature that challenges and enriches the mind.

Beautiful read. It took much some time to get into it, but once I did it became totally worth it. Lovely and lyrical.

𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐮𝐫𝐲

So much to think about in the almost-500 page epic novel:

What I Liked:
Gorgeous writing - Shafak paints pictures with her golden pen
Unique use of settings and time periods, moving from Victorian period of colonialism and theft, to the genocide of the Yazidi people, to London 2018.
cool theme of water drops through history, and how history impacts us all

What I Didn’t Like:
Characters not flushed out deeply enough for me, particularly the 2018 timeline - most interested in Narin, the young Yazidi girl, and she got the least attention /Arthur more interesting in his childhood as Dickensian character, less so as adult, needed further understanding
just too long for me, with not enough tension to pull me forward
wanted more in the ending, to connect the theme of water, felt some disappointment

There Are Rivers in the Sky is truly a love letter to water! It follow a single drop through centuries, weaving together the stories of three characters living in drastically different times under drastically different circumstances.

Each character’s plot line is done extremely well, although I found myself the most intrigued by Arthur and waiting impatiently at times to find out what happens next in his story. Shafak does a breathtaking job of gradually interlacing the three storylines, until they all come together in a powerful, thought-provoking ending.

I’m in love with the underlying theme of the interconnectedness of us all, regardless of any & all differences that we may use to set ourselves apart. I also learned a lot of intriguing information about each setting/time period (and water itself), without it feeling like a college lecture. That’s one of my biggest benchmarks for a good historical fiction and it’s done very well!

This is a book that I’ll be ordering a physical copy of to add to my bookshelf! To all of my fellow historical fiction lovers, this one is a must read.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Knopf publishing for the gifted ARC!

‘Where you have set your mind begin the journey Let your heart have no fear, keep your eyes on me.” -Epic of Gilgamesh

I’m giving it a high 4 ⭐️ because it was good, sad but good. It was a realistic fiction that ripped off the band-aid and showed me the actual events. The author presented the characters life in vivid detail and their survival was uncomfortable in a real way. There was heartache and determination that she wrote beautifully. But this novel was also about water. I have never thought about H2O in such a way, nor did I realize how many rivers are running through our towns that we have simply rerouted or buried. It was all fascinating and heartbreaking. It had three POV that came together for the conclusion.
Thanks Knopf via NetGalley.

This is not my usual genre but I am so happy I picked up this one. Rivers haven been important for human life and civilizations and will remain to be forever. Here in this case, we see how a drop of water goes through different stages, periods and places making the lives of three people interconnected across time periods. I was completely invested in stories of Narin, Arthur and Zaleekah and would have been more than happy to read how their lives go on further than the plot. The settings of Mesopotamia, Turkey and London near their famous rivers was fascinating as well. I deeply felt for the Yazidi people and others like them who were oppressed by others and feel very strongly now about how museums in western countries have become a joke displaying other people's artefacts without their consent. Narin's life with her grandma and their old tales kept the plot intriguing. I strongly recommend to pick up this timeless tale!

This is my first Elif Shafak novel (though I have others of hers that I would like to read) and not my normal preferred genre. That being said I was a little nervous to read this. But overall I find this to be a beautiful novel. Shafak’s writing is lyrical and absorbed me. I was captivated by things I didnt know I would have interest in. I did hope for a bit more connection between the main sections but overall really enjoyed it.

Three characters lives..in different time periods… in different parts of the world…all connected by a single raindrop. From London, ancient Mesopotamia, Turkey, and Iraq.
I loved this big book!
(A totally different experience for me with this author than a book of hers that I tried to read with a talking tree)!

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC. There Are Rivers in the Sky is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I love the way Elif Shafak interwove the stories of Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekah. I really enjoyed following along Arthur's discoveries and his search for the missing tablets of the Epic of Gilgamesh. I really felt for Narin's story, I loved her bond with her grandmother and their resilience despite being ostracized for their religion. I also really enjoyed Zaleekah's story as she moves out of the place she shares with her husband to a houseboat on the river Thames and goes on a journey to find herself. The emotional journeys and themes of the story leave me with a lot of feelings. Shafak has a really beautiful way of writing, her prose is beautiful and profound, and the narrative really makes you feel for her characters and feel grateful for water. I highly recommend every one read this,

📚There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak 📚

Thank you netgalley and knopf for this advance copy.

This is only the second book I've read by this author after The Island of Missing Trees, which was also really good. I liked this even more.

Water, and the memories it carries, and the cyclical nature of it and how it relates to time, is a major theme of the book. There are four timelines in the book, though one is less on page after the opening scene (Ashurbanipal).

The other three are compelling characters who I was invested in very quickly and couldn't stop reading after a certain point in the book because this book pricked all the curiosity points in my brain and had me reflecting on the fascinating things the characters were doing (translating ancient Mesopotamian tablets in the British Museum, studying underwater rivers in London and Paris, dowsing for water and explaining a line of healers in Turkey and Iraq), and also had me constantly googling the Yazidi people and zooming in on Google Maps to follow the journey of the Tigris past Nineveh.

The book starts a little slow but then it got so, so good. I learned a lot about Mesopotamia, I cried for the timeless story of oppressed people - in this case the Yazidi - and I cheered for the genius child of the London slums who journeyed so far from home and finally realized the imperial underside of archaeology.

I highly recommend it!

This was my first ELif Shafak book and now Ik why everyone loves these books. This was so amazing - This historical fiction just interwove 3 stories so seamlessly and I forgot I was reading it and just lived it
4.5 Stars

This ambitious historical fiction is sure to be a "best of" for many readers once it is released. Elif Shafak weaves together a tale unlike any other with beautiful writing, rich characters, and three different timelines that ebb and flow with the power of a mighty river. Once you enter into the immersive world created by this novel, you will be transported to a place that few books have the ability to take a reader, and once there, you will wish for this brilliant piece of literature to never end.

This book is follows 3 main characters; a baby born to poverty in the 1850s along the river Thames, a young woman with a PhD in geohydrology in current day London and a young Yadizi girl in modern Turkey. The book begins with King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia before the common era. There are two main threads that weave through these characters stories; the poem Gilgamesh and water. This exceptional historical fiction has taught me about worlds I can barely image; extreme poverty in the Victorian age, horrific treatment of a minority in the Middle East and antiquities. The book ask big questions about who has the right to house and care for a culture’s antiquities among others that would include spoilers. The characters are fully drawn describing their strengths and weaknesses. You are in good hands as the author reveals more and more.

Do not miss this gem. Many, many thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for proving an advanced readers copy.

Elif Shafak's "There Are Rivers in the Sky" is a mesmerizing tapestry of narratives spanning centuries and continents, anchored by the enduring presence of water. From the ancient splendor of Nineveh under King Ashurbanipal to the poignant struggles of characters like Arthur in Victorian London, Narin amidst Yazidi heritage, and Zaleekhah navigating modern-day London, each thread intricately weaves together themes of memory, resilience, and the profound significance of water in human existence.

Shafak's prose is exquisite, evoking both the grandeur of Mesopotamian antiquity and the intimate struggles of her characters across time. Through rich historical detail and lyrical musings, she deftly explores the cultural tapestry of Mesopotamia, the resilience of Yazidi traditions, and the existential reflections brought forth by water's transformative power.

While Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekhah each wrestle with their own demons and destinies, their stories converge and diverge like the flow of rivers, echoing the cyclical nature of history and memory. Shafak's narrative mastery shines brightest in her ability to blend profound philosophical insights with compelling human drama, creating a novel that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

"There Are Rivers in the Sky" stands as a testament to Shafak's prowess as a storyteller and her commitment to exploring themes of identity, loss, and the enduring legacy of civilizations. For readers captivated by intricate narratives and a deep exploration of cultural heritage, this novel offers a poignant journey through time and water, leaving a lasting impression of interconnected human experiences across millennia.

This is a fantastic novel, with 'all the feels' drawing together several narratives along the banks of two major rivers, the Thames and the Tigris. The tragic, tough parts where ISIS enters the narrative are particularly impactful, and had me pondering real-life current events in the Middle East, trying once again to resolve all the beauty, history and human evil that all coexist there. There is so much more though to unpack in this book. I will be very surprised (and annoyed) if this book doesn't wind up on book-prize longlists. I'll definitely be watching for a physical copy of this book so I can reread it in a year or so.

This dense [be sure to read slowly and carefully] novel of three stories linked by water is quite the book.

The threads:
The ancient poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh--from the city of Nineveh, on the banks of the Tigris, where King Ashurbaipal of Mesopotamia was a ruthless ruler who built a great library.

King Arthur of the Slums and Sewers is born into poverty in 1840 on the banks of the River Thames to an abusive alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother. who combs the riverbank for items to sell. Arthur has a brilliant memory. and is determined to better himself. Apprenticed to a publisher, he is entranced by a book he discovers in the workshop--Nineveh and Its Remains.

Narin, 2014, a 9-year old Yazidi girl living in Turkey, has a rare disorder than will cause her to go deaf. She is devoted to her grandmother, Besma, a healer, who is determined to baptize her in a sacred Iraqi temple. Their journey is disrupted by ISIS and the destruction of the family's ancestral lands along the Tigris.

Zaleekah, 2018, London. A hydrologist separated from her husband, seeks refuge on a houseboat on the Thames. Raised by her wealthy Uncle Malek; she is determined to take control of her own life.

And so it begins--slowly--with a single drop of water from biblical times to the present.

There is poverty, plunder of artifacts [by both museums and private collectors] and villages, ethnic cleansing, rape, climate change, family, love and lossand above all WATER. So much of it is heartbreaking.

I found myself constantly looking up words [mostly related to the ancient civilization] events, peoples and places--and yes, all true!

To wit:
Yazidi--they exist and I was unaware.
Hasankeyf--an endangered site/castle of the rock
daf = framed drum musical instrument
tilth = a conditon of tilled soil
brume= fog
boles = tree trunk
passerine = perching bird
qanun --a zither and plecturm--pick for quanun
coracle = a boat from Wales and Ireland
mudlark = a scavenger
chibouk = long Turkish tobacco pipe
and many more.

I was entranced by this novel although I found it somewhat uneven. At times, I plowed through the stories, other times, more of a slog. Still, I always wanted to return to reading it even as it grew increasingly sad.

Loved: "a stout man, his face barnacled with moles"

Aside: [no spoiler] how is it that the last two books I've read have a marriage that's fallen apart with the same projected outcome?!

Recommend reading and savoring and don't miss the finale--"The Journey of a Drop of Water."
4.5

In its themes, images, and flowing together of several timelines and plots, There Are Rivers in the Sky is one of best books I have read this year.

The story is told in three separate but interrelated timelines, linked by images and themes, and the Thames and Tigris rivers.
In 1840, Arthur is born in the muck of the polluted Thames, but rises to become a genius at interpreting cuneiform, especially the story of the Flood. In 2014, nine-year-old Narin, who is losing her hearing because of a genetic abnormality, is watching her Yazidi Village near the Tigris being demolished to be flooded for a dam in Turkey. In 2018 London, 30-year-old Zaleekhah, whose mother was Iraqi and died in a flash flood, is a hydrologist concerned with hidden rivers in London and around the world.

The book moves easily back and forth with their stories, starting briefly in Nineveh around 640 BC, where the source of recurring themes takes place: the lapis lazuli tablets etched with the trials of Gilgamesh, the ancient, flawed hero seeking immortality. These themes are echoed in the lives of the main characters, all searching for missing parts of themselves. Their stories are told with tenderness by the author, in a clear-eyed account of the pain that is part of life and love.

In this beautiful book about some awful experiences, water serves as a sustaining image, described by Shafak as the consummate immigrant:
always in transit, never able to settle, perpetually displaced and relocated, resilient yet vulnerable. The book flows easily from one person and time to the other, with images and artefacts resurfacing and tying together the different characters and their suffering, survival, and sometimes, success.