Elif Shafak excels in historical epic fiction, and There Are Rivers in the Sky is a testament to her skill. The novel intricately weaves together three distinct personal histories, all centred around the ancient city of Nineveh.

First, we meet Arthur Smith, inspired by the real Assyriologist George Smith. Born into poverty, Arthur possesses an extraordinary memory and intellect. His passion for Nineveh ignites when he encounters the Lamassus sculptures at the British Museum, marking the beginning of his deep connection to the ancient city.

Next is Zaleekah, who has recently separated from her husband and is reevaluating her life. Her fascination with rainfall and its life cycle leads her to live on a houseboat, where she meets a tattooist who rekindles her interest in cuneiform.

Finally, we follow Narin, a young Yazidi girl living by the Tigris River. Her grandmother is determined to have her baptized in the Valley of Lalish, a deeply spiritual place in Iraq.

Shafak masterfully sets these personal stories against the backdrop of Nineveh, a city devastated by fire and civil war, and home to a once-great library now housed at the British Museum. The novel explores the city's rich history while delving into pressing contemporary issues, such as the rise of ISIS, the environmental impact of dam construction, and the illicit trade in historical artefacts.

The interconnectedness of the three narratives is revealed gradually, offering emotional depth and insight into the characters' journeys. Shafak's evocative storytelling and thoughtful integration of historical context make this novel a powerful and immersive read.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

I love this author and honestly, this might be their best work yet. Absolutely gorgeous historical fiction with personal histories, love, loss, conflict...man it tore my heart in two and put it back together again.

Three different characters, three different countries, three different era’s, all connected by a single raindrop. Spanning from Victorian London, to ancient Mesopotamia, to modern day Turkey and Iraq, There Are Rivers in The Sky is an epic historical tale that I don’t think any description of synopsis could do justice.

It’s no secret that Elif Shafak’s ‘The Island of Missing Trees’ is one of my favourite books of all time, so of course I jumped at the chance to read this and of course I loved it. I don’t actually think 5 stars is enough because I fear I may have to come up with some kind of new system to I can actually give this book the rating it deserves 😂. Eli’s Shafak is an exceptional storyteller, and the attention to detail, intricacy and connections throughout this story are incredible. You can feel the time and effort that has been put in to create such a masterpiece and it certainly has paid off in my opinion.

I have no doubt this will make it into my top 10 reads of 2024. Absolutely no doubt at all - would highly recommend snatching up a copy of this!!

A well-constructed and beautifully written book spanning centuries and continents. A very impressive read with lovable characters and harrowing storylines. Will read this book again, and more from this author in the future.

Thanks: Received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Penguin General UK & NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

This is one of my favourite reads of the year. Following a drop of water over the centuries, Shafak seamlessly draws together a novel about connection, history and the universal ties that bind us all. It's an immensely readable novel and one that I could not stop thinking about, long after I read the final page.

Just a brilliant read!

Elif Shafak just can’t put a foot wrong. An utter master piece of historical fiction that I just didn’t want to put down. Told in a number of different timelines and linked by a drop of water this novel was just wonderful. I’m not going to give any spoilers it’s just a remarkable book which I highly recommend. Do yourself a favour and grab yourself a copy and travel to distant land and times. Just brilliant. Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARRC of this novel, in return for an honest review

The stories three main characters are Arthur, Narin and Zaleehhak, they are all in different time periods and all linked by water.
All of the characters suffer from hardship and discrimination in various ways. Arthur is born to a Mother who sifts through mud and rubbish in the Thames to make a living, when Arthur is born he is touched by a drop of water, he has marvellous recall and intelligence. He enjoys school and learns a lot but is too clever, after an initial apprenticeship at a printers he goes to the British Museum and translates ancient tablets of stone from Mesopotamia which he eventually visits on an expedition, he meets Leila who is a powerful mystic and a member of the Yazidi tribe, although she is untouchable he falls in love with her and promises to return. Back home in London with his demanding wife and twin sons he yearns to return to Mesopotamia and eventually does, but everything has changed, the Yazidi have been attacked and their village taken, he thinks he knows where to find Leila and sets off but catches cholera and dies just when he is close to finding her.
Narin is the beloved Grandchild of a water diviner who raises her, Grandmother is a very caring and wise woman, she takes Narin to Iraq so she can be baptised there, but the tribe are captured by ISIS who murder and mistreat them, Narin is sold to a commander who illtreats her.
Zaleehhak was orphaned and her Aunt and Uncle bring her up, they are rich and treat her the same way as they do their daughter Helen, Zaleehhak is haunted by her past, she leaves her husband and goes to live on a houseboat, planning her suicide. She is a professor who studies water. When she meets the owner of the houseboat they have a connection, the tattooist studies ancient languages and symbols, she brings Zaleehhak understanding and sympathy. When Zaleekhhah's Uncle finds out about the relationship he is disturbed, he is also worrying about his Granddaughter who needs a new kidney and is very ill. In his search he finds a child in Iraq who may help him.
This story has so many elements. the relationship with water mostly the Thames and the Euphrates, the ancient language on the tablets and the genocide of the Yazidi people. The research is well documented and inspired me to look further into the tribe.
Thank you Elif, NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC.

I preordered a copy of this book myself, but thank you to NetGalley for also sending me a digital copy for review.

Elif Shafak’s The Island of Missing Trees is one of my favourite books, so There are Rivers in the Sky was a highly anticipated release. It definitely met and exceeded my expectations!

There are a few stylistic elements of Elif Shafak’s novels which really make them stand out to me. First is the incredible ability to bring to life inanimate things in such a beautiful way. Second is the melding of different narratives throughout history that have a common thread linking them all together.

As suggested by the title, water is incredibly important in this book, especially in relation to the Tigris and the Thames rivers. The novel begins in Ancient Mesopotamia, and as a lover of ancient history, the archaeological and translation elements really resonated with me. The Epic of Gilgamesh maintains importance throughout.

We see the birth of a child in Victorian London and his upbringing in poverty. He has an extraordinary memory, and through this ability he manages to escape this life as he becomes interested in past civilisations. We return to the area of Nineveh through Arthur’s eyes later in the 1800s.

Moving to the modern era, Narin lives in Turkey in 2014. Her people, the Yazidis, are persecuted by many, including ISIS. As she slowly goes deaf, her grandmother makes plans to baptise her in Iraq, but none of this journey will be straightforward.

The final narrative we follow is Zaleekah’s in 2018 London. She studies water, and recently moved to a houseboat following her divorce. Having faced traumatic events in her life, we see Zaleekah struggle but also become intrigued by new people and connections in her life.

It might sound like a lot to bring together, and at the beginning of the book I wasn’t sure if it would work. However, after only a few chapters I was already eager to return to each of the respective characters to see their narratives progress, especially with all the tension towards the end of the book.

The characters shine so strongly. Each storyline delves deeply into the context of different times and places. There were some very emotional moments, especially due to some situations that are still ongoing today.

There are so many topics that I want to read more deeply into now. I tabbed and underlined quotes as I went through, and there were so many that I loved! The writing is beautiful and detailed.

I found myself completely immersed in the story, and this book is definitely a new favourite of mine.

I really enjoyed this lyrical and haunting novel, telling three stories across continents and centuries connected to the same drops of water. Although I enjoyed some of the perspectives more than others, the narrative changes quickly enough between them that this was never a problem - there is something of a tonal shift towards the end of the novel which I found very affecting but others may be more jarred by. Highly recommended and many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another absolute triumph of storytelling from Elif Shafak! I was immediately hooked by the multiple storylines of Arthur, Narin and Zaleekah, and especially liked Arthur’s story. The history of Nineveh and Ancient Mesopotamia wasn’t something I was familiar with and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about it through the book: fascinating. I really liked how as the book progressed it became apparent that the storylines would eventually and cleverly intertwine, just like the drop of water weaves its way through time and place. Packed with history, learning, many sensitive issues and emotions, this is a book that will stand out as one of my favourites this year.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

Wow! Utterly epic. 3 characters across different time periods, with different experiences and backgrounds. But these 3 are connected. A wonderful story that will stay with me for a long time.

Adored this book so much I went ahead and got a copy when it was released, which is the highest praise I could give. A stunning, immersive read that transports the reader across time and space, its three central characters traversing the Tigris and the Thames, their stories overlapping in mysterious ways, all anchored by the timeless epic of Gilgamesh. Exploring various complex themes with nuance and sensitivity, each individual story left its mark on me, and I thoroughly appreciated the way everything came together so fluidly in the end. Truth and tragedy, this a novel that holds the story of us as we have always been, made all the more compelling in the hands of as accomplished a storyteller as Elif Shafak. Truly thrilled to be reading in a time where she is writing! A fuller review to come on Instagram, heartfelt thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this complimentary copy.

The 3 strands of this novel are linked together by 1. water 2. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the city of Nineveh in Ancient Mesopotamia.

It starts in the latter, but moves between then and modern day London.

By the Thames in London we have Arthur King of the Slums and Sewers. He's had a Dickensian story so far, but the arrival of some artefacts at the British Museum, combined with his prestigious memory, means that his life changes direction as he learns to translate cuneiform from clay tablets. He later travels in Mesopotamia. Arthur is portrayed as being neurodiverse and his absolute passion for reading is beautifully portrayed.

By the Tigris in 2014 , Narin is facing a future of being deaf . She is already dealing with being a member of an ancient community, the Yazidis. This minority has been stigmatised for generations, but the events in this region mean that genocide becomes a possibility. Her grandmother is a teller of traditional tales, wisdom, purveyor of healing and a water diviner.

Zaleekhah, in 2018 s dealing with the trauma of a marriage breakdown. Her parents drowned when she was young and she was brought up by her aunt and uncle. Her uncle is a self made man originally from the Mesopotamia region and doesn't understand why his niece has chosen to live on a houseboat. Enter her "landlady" the tattooist and Gilgamesh afficionado , Nen, who will change her life.

As is natural in a multi strand narrative, there are characters and narratives that are more interesting for each reader. The intertwining of the 3 main narratives might make you question the idea of coincidence/fate.

I understand the metaphor of water and time flowing like a river, with art's ability to link the past and present. The idea of the drop of water constantly recycling through the water cycle and linking characters is also interesting.

However the whole water metaphor I think was overdone- the fountain at her aunt's house, her parents' death, the houseboat, Zaleekhah's niece's condition (renal failure) etc. Yes water is what unites us all as humans, but I felt drowned in it by the end of the book.

I was ignorant about the Yazidi culture and so to learn about them was unexpected. However, the threats to this community are necessarily challenging.

I preferred The Island of Missing Trees to be honest. It's a measure of how good a writer she is, that 4 members of our Waterstones staff have read the book/are currently reading this book- which is rare.

'There Are Rivers in the Sky' by Elif Shafak promises a sweeping tale that spans centuries connecting characters through the enduring legacy of rivers and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Unfortunately, I found that the execution fell short of this ambitious premise. The narrative, while rich in historical detail, often felt disjointed, making it difficult to stay engaged in each storyline. The novel struggles to maintain coherence and create the same emotional resonance with the reader that her past novels, '10 Minutes and 38 seconds in this Strange World' and 'The Island of Missing Trees' do.

"Books, it seems to me, do not end, even when we are finished reading them."

In 1840, Arthur is born in London next to the sewage-infested Thames. The son of an abusive father and a mother who suffers from depression, Arthur relies on his photographic memory to get him by. He becomes an apprentice at a publishing house, where he is fascinated by a book on the ancient city of Nineveh in Ancient Mesopotamia.

In 2014 in Turkiye, ten-year-old Yazidi girl Narin is going deaf. Before that happens, her grandmother wants to take her to be baptised at a sacred site in modern Iraq, where Nineveh used to lie along the river Tigris. It's become a dangerous place though, with the fanatical group ISIS posing a threat.

In 2018 in London, Zaleekah, a hydrologist, moves into a houseboat on the Thames after her marriage collapses. She's severely depressed and is contemplating suicide. But when she befriends her landlady, a woman obsessed with Mesopotamia and cuneiform, she discovers a new story and a book about Nineveh.

This is a stunning tale about water: about the beauty of rivers, the power of tears, and the might of rain. It's also a tale about the oldest known story in the world – The Epic of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia, and about how language can transcend time and space.

Elif Shafak is a master weaver of words. Her writing is dreamy, lyrical and moving. She uses language as a vehicle to touch a reader's soul, exploring themes of renewal, healing, faith, courage and hope. This book speaks to everyone – our bodies are all mostly water, making this a universal story.

At times, the book is difficult to read, particularly Narin's harrowing part, amid the genocide ISIS perpetrated against the Yazidi community. The author writes about this awful time with great care, having spoken to victims of the atrocity, and highlighting their immense resilience and bravery.

I loved every word.


Some of my other favourite quotes:

"Water is the consummate immigrant, trapped in transit, never able to settle."

"Heart, liver, stomach, lungs, neck, eyes, soul... It is as if love, by its fluid nature, its riverine force, is all about the melding of markers, to the extent that you can no longer tell where your being ends and another's begins."

"Words are like birds ... When you publish books, you are setting caged birds free. They can go wherever they please. They can fly over the highest walls and across vast distances, settling in the mansions of the gentry, in farmsteads and labourers' cottages alike. You never know whom those words will reach, whose hearts will succumb to their sweet songs."

"In deciding what will be remembered, a museum, any museum, is also deciding, in part, what will be forgotten."

"A poem is a swallow in flight. You can watch it soar through the infinite sky, you can even feel the wind passing over its wings, but you can never catch it, let alone keep it in a cage. Poems belong to no one."

It is a difficult task reviewing a novel written by Elif Shafak. Trying to encapsulate the essence of culture, history, wisdom, love and pain woven throughout the text is no small thing. As powerful and enthralling as her stories are, the harder the task to do them justice with my words. I cannot praise her work highly enough and have said, previously, that if I could read only ten authors for the rest of my days, she would be on the list. More true now than ever.

There Are Rivers in the Sky takes us on a journey through time from king Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, of ancient Mesopotamia, to modern day London. We are transported with one drop of water and through its eternal cycle see the world from a new perspective. This drop of water links mighty Ashurbanipal to a newborn baby in Victorian London, a Yazidi girl in 2014 Turkey and a hydrologist named Zaleekhah in 2018 London. It is an exceptional achievement to bring such, seemingly, disparate times and cultures together but with unerring grace, our glorious author does just that. Deploying a delicate touch, she explores what makes cultural beliefs and ways of life beautifully different, the pain when cultures clash, are subjugated and conflict arises crushing the innocent. Issues as topical now as ever. Opening the readers eyes to the world and its prejudices whilst also giving voice to those who have been scattered the winds. Heartbreaking, but essential reading. We think living in the modern ages insulates us from hatred and violence but we see each night on the news how brutal humans really are.

As ever, this book has left a mark on me and and I am so pleased to have learned a great deal about an amazing people and the unending quest for knowledge that burns in each of us. The magical spell Elif Shafak casts lingers long after the book has closed and I feel privileged to have shared this journey with that drop of water.

Wow, I am speechless after reading this new novel from Elif Shafak. There are Rivers in the Sky is astoundingly good. From three perspectives across different time periods we follow characters who are so different from eachother in settings worlds apart, yet strings of water, memory, heritage, history, and tradition link them together.

This novel affected me so deeply and at times it was utterly devastating. It covered historical and modern atrocities that I was ashamedly entirely ignorant of, and did so with such honesty and grace. This book will stay with me for a long time to come and I would love to reread it someday. I envy anyone who hasn't yet read this wonderful book, and would highly recommend it to all.

Elif Shafak is truly an extraordinary talent and told this story using beautiful imagery, lyrical prose, and complex characters. Thank you so much to the publishers and to NetGalley for this wonderful book.

Shafak is a great storyteller. I can imagine her with her stylus and tablet poring over the tablets and the fragments in this pile and in that one and then that one over there. Collecting her facts, collecting the anguishes and the hurts, the actions and the consequences and then giving us this story, with it's past and present and possible future.......

I got sucked into the story, I followed that drop of water through the years and all the narrative threads. I went to Nineveh, to London, to Sinjar, to Castrum Kefa and cried inside for them most of all but also for us all. Us who forget that 'they' continue to struggle too and we turn a bit our line of sight and forget.

I also cry for us because we are destroying the hand that feeds us, sillier and more criminal than that we cannot be. Following that drop of water, I read about and saw the great ecological mess we've created in the name of progress, civilization, imperialistic grandeur, technological advancement. We continue to pay a heavy price and the price will get higher and higher. With her parallel narratives about the Thames and the Tigris we see that it is easy for us to destroy, we destroy rivers in the 'civilized' world and also in that land where we vaguely know what's happening. So it is not a question of location, or religion or culture but it's us humans so the solution must also lie with us, everyone of us.

An ARC kindly provided by author/publisher via Netgalley.

This is a masterpiece and I hope it is recognised as such. Shafak has a brilliant way of bringing epic stories together with intimate story-telling, great characters and beautifully told narratives. Truly memorable and unique.

There are rivers in a sky is a beautifully written and impactful novel following the lives of three people across different timelines whose lives are tied together by water and ancient Mesopotamian culture.

I loved learning about ancient Mesopotamian culture and the history of Nineveh and the Yazidi people through this book. However, although the Epic of Gilgamesh was a key theme or point of interest throughout the book, we never actually learn much about it, which is disappointing given that that’s what drew me to reading this.

The novel also tackles tough topics such as colonialism, genocide, ISIS, human trafficking, depression, global warming etc. Whilst this was done well and was super impactful at the end, I think it tried to tackle too many themes at the same time. The book is also very slow paced and the character’s themselves I didn’t find interesting at all so reading this felt really boring. Although the key topics I mentioned before were present in the book, the full exploration of these topics doesn’t happen until pretty much the end of which meant for the first 75% of the book, nothing really happened.

Overall, I gave it 3 stars because although the writing was good and I did end up enjoying it, it was a slog to get through and only really piqued my interest towards the last 25% of the book.