That was such an excellent book. Stories that follow several characters in several timelines can easily go wrong but this one did not: it was perfect. We follow Arthur Smyth, a Victorian young man born into poverty who has an incredible memory and finds he also has a talent for deciphering patterns and Assyrian tablets; Zaleekhah, a water scientist in London in 2018, going through a divorce and depression; and Narin, a little Yazidi girl, born in a family of healers, in 2014 Turkey and Iraq, as ISIS progresses. Elif Shafak's running commentary on water - a single drop that travelled through ancient and modern times, links the stories together in a poetic way. It was beautiful, well-written and it prompted me to read more about archeological research in Iraq (Arthur Smyth is based on the real George Smith), Yazidi religion and their persecution, and the Assyrian empire. I can't recommend this enough.

This story is told in three different timelines, following three main characters called Arthur, Narin and Zaleekhah.
This is the second novel I read by Elif Shafak and the style and the universe are very similar, I enjoyed it a lot. You can definitely recognize stuff from one book to another in her style and her choices.

At first, I felt like I needed some time to get into it, didn’t connect with the characters immediately, but it did happen later on. They are three very different people, though there is a general feeling of melancholy in all of them. I think they are all very relatable characters, readers will see parts of themselves in all of them. I sure did. I also loved the beautiful LGBTQIA representation I found in this novel, when I wasn’t even expecting it.

There are Rivers in the Sky had some elements that I absolutely love and that I had already enjoyed in Shafak’s previous book, The Island of Missing Trees:
- jumping back and forth in time and slowly watching things make sense until you connect it all, I really loved how the chapters were organized and how they echo each other on not one but various themes.
- stories and characters connected to the elements and the nature around; Shafak has the ability to personify elements of the natural world and make you care about them, so much that it turns into a character and you enjoy the little mentions of this element throughout the novel. In her last book, The Island of Missing Trees, it was a fig tree. Here it’s a drop of water.
- you can feel something terrible is about to happen and all you can do is watch it come closer and closer, her characters just give off that vibe that they themselves know deep down that they are doomed… it’s really well done.
- Shafak’s writing manages to be poetic, epic at times, bordering on fantasy, and still it’s easy to read and feels so real!

In terms of theme and plot, you’ll enjoy this if you’re interested in Mesopotamia and ancient civilizations (but also the modern-day inhabitants of the region surrounding the Tigris, and especially the Yazidi people), archeology and research (do ancient artifacts belong in museums, or should they be left in the hands of the people whose history is still linked to them?), language and storytelling (our perception of the world and other people is shaped by the stories we’ve been told, even if these stories erase the truth—after time passes, most things keep existing only because people tell their stories). The theme of water is fascinating and I had never read anything that explored it the way Elif Shafak does in There are Rivers in the Sky, though I won’t write much about it and let you see for yourself.

Now, this book left me incredibly sad and kind of drained, but in the best way. Despite all the terrible events, it doesn’t leave you crushed by the end of it.
Stories like this one are important and they remind us that what happened a long time ago still affects the present in some way. I'm pretty sure that readers who love Shafak's previous works and novels of a similar genre will absolutely love this one!

Powerful and absolutely absorbing storytelling.
A drop of water at the start of the novel takes us through time and two rivers - the Thames and the Tigris. Beginning in ancient Mesopotamia, Shafak cleverly weaves her story of three very different characters, all of whom I became emotionally involved with. Arthur, born by the River Thames in the 19th century is from a very poor background. He is known as King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums and possesses an incredible memory and a love and fascination with the city of Ninevah. Zaleekah, a present day scientist has a keen interest in the rainfall cycle, but she is going through troubled times. Narin, the third character is a young Yazidi girl living on the banks of the Tigris. She has a rare condition which will result in her eventually going deaf. This part of the book brings the atrocities by ISIS to the fore.
All three characters embark on their own incredible journey.
The author's depth of research is evident throughout. I found the history of Ninevah fascinating.
A wonderful, enriching read. Highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Elif Shafak's "There are Rivers in the Sky" is a literary masterpiece and one of the best books I've read this year. Shafak's lyrical prose and profound storytelling create a mesmerizing narrative that flows like a river, touching the depths of human emotion. The novel intricately weaves themes of love, loss, and identity, set against a backdrop of rich cultural history. Her characters are vividly alive, each journey resonating with authenticity and depth. Shafak’s ability to blend magical realism with poignant reality makes this book an unforgettable and transformative reading experience. A must-read for lovers of powerful, evocative fiction.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
I cannot praise this book highly enough! It is definitely my book of 2024. I keep telling everyone I meet about it and it has made me want to research the lost rivers of London. It is a wonderful story told through the lives of three people King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums, Narin a young Yazidi girl who lives on the banks of the river Tigris and Zaleeka a hydrologist who has recently left her husband.
The novel begins in Nineveh and everyone in the story is affected by King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia and a special tablet of the "Epic of Gilgamesh". A drop of water which falls upon the king is later to appear and link together this story to that of the three characters.
Arthur is born into the slums but he has an incredible memory one day whilst out on his lunch break he is astonished by the huge Lamasssus sculptures which he sees being carried in to the British Museum. Later whilst still working at the printing firm he encounters Charles Dickens and this chance meeting impacts upon his future life.
We meet Zaleeka as she steps on board her houseboat which is to be her home now that she has decided to leave her husband. She is fascinated by the life cycle of rainfall and the possibility of water having a “memory”. Through her encounter with a tattoo artist she reignites her interest in cuneiform.
The third character is Narin a youg girl who lives with her grandmother while her father, a musician, entertains people at weddings and ceremonies. She is of the Yazidi faith and as such is referred to as a Devil Worshipper. It is decided that she must travel to be baptised in the Valley of Lalish but the journey is fraught with danger as Isis gain control of the area through which they will travel.
There is also much in the story of the damage done to the environment by the building of dams or the covering of rivers I felt immersed in the water which flows through the story. I lived every minute of it and although it deals with challenging issues it never felt as if it was just a vehicle for a message. I will be recommending the book to all of my various book groups and cannot wait to buy a hard copy with the fantastic cover. Many thanks to the author, the publishers and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read the novel in return for an honest review.

This is an extraordinary book, emotionally charged and full of the most fantastic, peculiar and informative detail. It draws you in and pulls you under – the reader has to work hard to stay afloat but it is well worth the effort.

The story is set in modern and Victorian London as well as in modern and 19th century Iraq and Turkey. It is also intrinsically linked to King Ashurbanipal’s reign of the Assyrian Empire BC and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Don’t let this put you off, be patient and go with the story lines and you will be so much richer and wiser when they come to their conclusion.

The main characters are King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums, whose fascination with Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire takes him from the shores of the Thames to those on the Tigris. There is Narin, a girl growing up in a Turkish Yazidi community next to the Tigris and there is Leila, her great-great grandmother, a Yazidi seer and wise woman. The fourth main character is Zaleekha, who has just rented a houseboat on the Thames and works as a scientist to recover the lost rivers of our world. They all have a story to tell but when those stories merge, they are much more than just the sum of the individual narratives. Brilliantly told and masterly woven together.

Given the importance water and living next to it has for the main characters, this book is also dedicated to the memory of water, the defining force of life that connects us all, crossing centuries, borders and everything else that tends to divide humankind. Climate crisis as water crisis is a central theme of the book, but it also touches on topics like who owns cultural heritage, the persecution of minorities and otherness and the struggle of second-generation immigrants.

This book is ever so well written and researched – its richness needs time to digest but what a feast it was.
I am grateful to NetGalley and Viking/Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars isn't enough.

Elif Shafak is so good at historical epic fiction. There Are Rivers in the Sky gives us three personal histories with Nineveh at their heart.

We have Arthur Smith born to a poor family who has a phenomenal memory and a brain that works like noone else's. He begins his working life in a publishing house where his vast intellect and curiosity are encouraged by his employers but his real passion and interest in Nineveh begins when he sees the lamassus sculptures being brought to the British Museum.

Secondly we have Zaleekah, recently split from her husband and contemplating her life choices. Her interest is in rainfall and it's life cycle (which, on its own, would make for a fascinating novel). She moves to a houseboat and meets a tattooist who reignited her interest in cuneiform.

Finally we have Narin, a young Yazidi girl who lives on the banks of the Tigris. Her grandmother is determined that her favourite should be baptised in the Valley of Lalish in Iraq.

In setting the story Shafak gives us a wonderful backdrop of the city of Nineveh which was destroyed by fire after civil war. It was home to a vast library which held the clay tablets now at the British Museum.

The history of the city is fascinating and the way Elif Shafak weaves the ancient history into the story of these three people is simply sublime. The three stories feel connected from the beginning and we are given little insights into what will happen to them all the way through.

The stories are often quite emotionally fraught and deal with some heavyweight issues such as the rise of ISIS, the destruction of the valleys by the construction of dams, sale/removal of historical artefacts.

The research on this book must have been phenomenal. It covers so much ground. But the stories are still so beautifully told and I cared about each one of the main characters. It is incredibly emotive at times.

I loved this book. It will definitely rank as one of my favourites for this year. As an author she blows me away with her story telling especially with an epic tale. Absolutely mesmerising. I listened to qanun music, I looked up the geography, I looked at images of the artefacts and downloaded the Eoic of Gilgamesh. It's the sort of book that inspires you to read more history.

Very highly recommended.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Penguin for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.

Probably my most anticipated read of the year, and it did not disappoint. Elif Shafak cements her place as a master storyteller, weaving multiple narratives together and spanning centuries. All linked by a single drop of water. It’s ambitious, but it really works.

5 stars, which tells me I really need to pick up Shafak’s older novels asap

This story is told in three different timelines, following three main characters called Arthur, Narin and Zaleekhah.
This is the second novel I read by Elif Shafak and the style and the universe are very similar, I enjoyed it a lot. You can definitely recognize stuff from one book to another in her style and her choices.

At first, I felt like I needed some time to get into it, didn’t connect with the characters immediately, but it did happen later on. They are three very different people, though there is a general feeling of melancholy in all of them. I think they are all very relatable characters, readers will see parts of themselves in all of them. I sure did. I also loved the beautiful LGBTQIA representation I found in this novel, when I wasn’t even expecting it.

There are Rivers in the Sky had some elements that I absolutely love and that I had already enjoyed in Shafak’s previous book, The Island of Missing Trees:
- jumping back and forth in time and slowly watching things make sense until you connect it all, I really loved how the chapters were organized and how they echo each other on not one but various themes.
- stories and characters connected to the elements and the nature around; Shafak has the ability to personify elements of the natural world and make you care about them, so much that it turns into a character and you enjoy the little mentions of this element throughout the novel. In her last book, The Island of Missing Trees, it was a fig tree. Here it’s a drop of water.
- you can feel something terrible is about to happen and all you can do is watch it come closer and closer, her characters just give off that vibe that they themselves know deep down that they are doomed… it’s really well done.
- Shafak’s writing manages to be poetic, epic at times, bordering on fantasy, and still it’s easy to read and feels so real!

In terms of theme and plot, you’ll enjoy this if you’re interested in Mesopotamia and ancient civilizations (but also the modern-day inhabitants of the region surrounding the Tigris, and especially the Yazidi people), archeology and research (do ancient artifacts belong in museums, or should they be left in the hands of the people whose history is still linked to them?), language and storytelling (our perception of the world and other people is shaped by the stories we’ve been told, even if these stories erase the truth—after time passes, most things keep existing only because people tell their stories). The theme of water is fascinating and I had never read anything that explored it the way Elif Shafak does in There are Rivers in the Sky, though I won’t write much about it and let you see for yourself.

Now, this book left me incredibly sad and kind of drained, but in the best way. Despite all the terrible events, it doesn’t leave you crushed by the end of it.
Stories like this one are important and they remind us that what happened a long time ago still affects the present in some way. I'm pretty sure that readers who love Shafak's previous works and novels of a similar genre will absolutely love this one!

Thank you Penguin and NetGalley for sending me this e-arc 💛

"Water remembers. It is humans who forget."
"The story of humanity cannot be written without the story of water."
"Whatever happens, tell it to the water. It'll take away all the pain and fear."

Arthur was born when his mother was in the middle of mud-larking at River Thames back in 1840. And he's named King Arthur of The Sewers and Slums. Though he was born on poverty and hardship, he's destined to go BIG.
Narin, a Yazidi girl who is almost deaf, and her family ancestors gifted with remarkable skills. She and her grandmother are about to travel to Iraq
Zaleekhah's story sets in 2018. She is an orphan as her parents died from flash flooding when she was seven years old. She studies water for a living, and after separated with her husband, she moved to a house boat.

Three characters, three timelines, two rivers, and a drop of water, amazingly braided this beautiful story.

Every time I read a book from Elif Shafak, I always devour it and just don't want it to end. Many things in this book are inspired by true historical events and figures. Reading through this book , you'll feel how intense and deep the research is done by Elif. While reading this book, I googled a lot of stuff, from the Yazidi genocide, lamassus, Epic of Gilgamesh, and cuneiform.

The narrative, the plot, and the writing style are so captivating. It was an absolute breathtaking read and one of my BEST read for 2024!

PS: Oh my gosh, I only know by reading this book that we can bury a river and build a city over it 😳

Without a doubt my most favourite read of the year so far, also my first Elif Shafak read, I struggled to put this one down.

Set in three timelines, the 1800’s, 2014 and 2018, in Turkey, Iraq and London, the three main characters have no connection, but for a single drop of water. All have experienced extreme hardship and sorrow in their lives and all are extremely strong characters.

Based loosely on historical events, we travel from London to Mesopotamia, where the riches of history are taken from their homeland and the people of the region are persecuted, sadly these actions are not just moments of history, as they still happen today.

A wonderful tale, written beautifully, which has inspired me to learn more about Mesopotamian history.

Thank you to NetGalley for this early read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and of course the fabulous author Elif Shafak for this ARC. I am a huge fan of Shafak’s work and this novel did not disappoint. Beautifully told, poetically written and poignantly structured I thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the magic and history of this book. A fabulous read for fans of Shafak’s other work. A privilege to read before release.

There are some authors who have a skill for writing with a certain magic, an indefinable quality that would make the dullest of topics seem intriguing. Elif Shafak is one of those - although the topics she has chosen for this ambitious novel are far from dull. There is an prologue set in ancient times, in the Mesopotamian city of Nineveh. The remainder of the book is split between three narratives that seem unrelated but gradually more connections appear between them and with the distant civilisation in Nineveh. There is Arthur, who rises from a slum in Victorian London to become an archaeologist; Narin, a Yazidi child in 2014 with the brutality of ISIS on the horizon; and Zaleekah, a hydrologist in 2018 who has recently split from her husband.

It's a story that must have taken an immense amount of research, as suggested from the acknowledgements, and covers such diverse topics as modern slavery, the appropriation of artefacts by Western museums, the concept of water having a memory, the trade in illegal organs, classism and epidemiology. But probably the most important theme is the persecution of Yazidi people. I had heard of the group, and knew they had suffered when ISIS took over swathes of Iraq and Syria, but I didn't know anything about them or that their mistreatment went back a long way in time. It seems like a fascinating and different culture, and another example of how a certain religious group can be demonised and subjected to the most appalling treatment - not just by the obvious evil of terrorist groups, but by ordinary citizens too.

It does take a while to really get going, although Shafak's style is so enjoyable you don't mind as much as you might if the writing were less good. I found the storyline with Narin the most moving and shocking. It is devastating to think there are still real Yazidi girls and women out there in the world, being kept in slavery. If I were to be very critical, I'd maybe suggest a tighter edit and cutting down some of the range of themes to allow more time to be spent on the remaining ones - there's such a lot packed in here, that it could have been two novels. But an author has to write the story that comes to them.

If you enjoy literary fiction or have any interest in the Middle East modern and/or ancient, this is an essential read. Shafak is an author who always delivers a good read, and this is not exception.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
…
I have read a number of Elif Shafak’s novels and this is my favourite so far. There are so many beautiful passages and thoughts within it. She explores water through its memory, its importance and its timelessness to create this beautiful story. The prose is delicate and lyrical and even though it is over 400 pages never felt it
.
Focussing on the River Thames and the River Tigris to create a connection between her characters and the timelines. Through Arthur, who is born on the wintery banks of the Thames in the 1840s, to Narin, a Yazidi girl living by the Tigris whose life is turned upside down by war and its horrors, to Zaleekhah, a hydrologist who moves onto a houseboat on the Thames. The book alternates between these stories, with the Epic of Gilgamesh and the power of water connecting them together
.
Arthur’s story was my favourite, as he grows up from the slums of London to travelling the world, always following Nineveh and the Epic. His life has ripples, which will lead into the stories of Nazin’s and Zaleekhah’s. He was a fascinating character, always striving to explore and uncover more, whilst the author is able to highlight the questions regarding museums and the artefacts they contain and obtain
.
The book is also about loneliness and heartbreak, trauma and destruction, and there are some difficult passages to read, particularly within Nazin’s story. But it also a story of family and love and belief, and is one that will stay with me
.
Thank you to Penguin and Viking books for this eARC.

Elif Shafak is fast becoming one of my favourite writers.. This is storytelling at its finest. It is written from three different points of view and in two different tiimelines. In Victorian London, a child is born by the side of the River Thames. Arthur Smyth will grow up in extreme poverty but his lifee will be enriched by his intelligence and his love of Nineveh and obsession with finding the missing tablets that tell the tale of Gligamesh. In the 21st century we have Narin, born by the River Tigris and Zahleika, a hyrdrologist living on a barge on the Thames. Shafak tells their stories in beautiful and moving prose covering with ease topics such as climate change, religious intolerance and genocide.

A wonderful book, I can't imagine reading anything better this year. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Stunning, simply stunning.

It follows three characters in two different timelines. Arthur is born in the slums of Victorian London, by the polluted Thames. Salesian lives in a house boat in modern day London and is a hydrologist. Finally there is Nain a 9 year old Yazhidi girl who goes to Mozul.

Not only does this have Shafak’s wonderful prose it addresses a wide range of topics, cultural heritage, climate change, immigration, genocide, modern day slavery and the theme of water runs through it. For me, at no time did it seem heavy handed.

I would be surprised if this isn’t my book of the year. Cannot rate this highly enough.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book. It opens on a scene from ancient Mesopotamia but though a storyline begins there, it's almost more of a philosophical look at water and the life it has. At this point, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book if it stayed in this realm of philosophy. Nevertheless, I kept reading, and the story began to diverge into different perspectives and timelines. The author weaves this philosophical idea of water into each storyline, but the story definitely becomes a narrative.

With each storyline, I thought I had to keep them separate and organized based on the time period they are written about, but I soon noticed that there were little nuggets that connected all the timelines to one another. I began to excitedly look for these nuggets and was pleased to start noticing more and more connections between the storylines.

This is my second book by this author (the other was Three Daughters of Eve), and I can see that she is a master at weaving together stories through multiple timelines, bringing them together in the end. The thought and planning that goes into a story like this is incredible. I enjoyed this book more than I expected to at the outset, and pretty early in the book, I felt really invested in the various characters and their stories. Even about 85% of the way in, I wasn't sure how it was going to end and how the author was going to tie everything together, but she did!

This is such a beautiful book. Shafak’s narrative covers three timelines:

1. King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums - born in 1840 on the bank of the river Thames into poverty … but soon to embark on a remarkable life due to his keen intelligence and astounding memory. He starts off working in publishing but soon transfers to the British Museum where he starts to translate the tablets from Mesopotamia featuring the Epic of Gilgamesh (the oldest world’s oldest piece of literature).
2. Zaleekhah - a Hydrologist newly living on a houseboat after the demise of her marriage in 2018. As she struggles to manage the darkness of her emotions, the water provides her with sustenance and the opportunity to make new friend.
3. Narin - a young Yazidi girl trying to flee the horrors of Isis in 2014. She has a degenerative condition that means she is slowly losing her hearing. Yet, her spirit and the beautiful mysticism of her water-diviner grandmother provides comfort.

All three stories are connected by the themes of storytelling, our bonds between the past and present, troubled family lives, acute loneliness, the horrors of a violent world. as well as how love can take us to unexpected emotional spaces. Of course, there are also the rivers in the novel. Both of them serve as the lifeblood of the book, especially how they offer a sense of renewal.

This is one of the best books I have read in the last few years. Elif Shafak’s prose is breathtakingly human and she cultivates such a vivid sense of feeling. If you loved ‘’Island of Missing Trees’ then be prepared to adore this even more. A must read of 2024!

Wow!
Absolutely fantastic.
How do I describe it.
It is the story of Water.
It is the story of the discovery, translation and consequences of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
It is the story of the main Translator of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
It is the story of a modern day family from Mesopotamia.
It is the story of another modern day family from Mesopotamia.
It is the story of a women scientist who studies water: in structure, function, history, today and the future.
All of the above were brilliantly woven together to produce a captivating tale.
My favourite part of favourite parts is the description of man as warring water.
My thanks to the author for opening my eyes to many, many things and for hours of enjoyment that the book has brought me, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a truly beautiful, haunting narrative that spans both centuries and continents. It interweaves the stories of three very different characters, Narin is a Yazidi child, learning all about her culture and heritage from her grandmother whilst also becoming aware of the cruel bigotry her faith attracts. Zaleekhah, who is battling depression in the aftermath of her failed marriage. I truly adored both of these characters and their harrowing journeys, however, it is King Arthur of the sewers and slums that I'll carry with me forever. All of these characters are linked by the Epic of Gilgamesh, written in an ancient form of writing on clay tablets in Nineveh and a single drop of water that once fell upon King Ashurbanipal in ancient Mesopotamia. The scope of this novel is truly breath-taking. This is a novel that will truly stay with me for a very, very long time. The way in which Shafak deals with the devastating genocide of the Yazidi people, her frank discussion of antiquities and historical artefacts, and how depression shapes us is honest and heart wrenching. I adored this novel.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc in return for an honest review.