There Are Rivers in the Sky

A novel

By: Elif Shafak

Narrated by: Olivia Vinall, Elif Shafak

From the Booker Prize finalist, author of The Island of Missing Trees, an enchanting new tale about three characters living along two great rivers, all connected by a single drop of water.

"Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf. Make place for her in your heart too. You won't regret it."—Arundhati Roy, winner of the Booker Prize

In the ancient city of Nineveh, on the bank of the River Tigris, King Ashurbanipal of Mesopotamia, erudite but ruthless, built a great library that would crumble with the end of his reign. From its ruins, however, emerged a poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh, that would infuse the existence of two rivers and bind together three lives.

In 1840 London, Arthur is born beside the stinking, sewage-filled River Thames. With an abusive, alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother, Arthur’s only chance of escaping destitution is his brilliant memory. When his gift earns him a spot as an apprentice at a leading publisher, Arthur’s world opens up far beyond the slums, and one book in particular catches his interest: Nineveh and Its Remains.

In 2014 Turkey, Narin, a ten-year-old Yazidi girl, is diagnosed with a rare disorder that will soon cause her to go deaf. Before that happens, her grandmother is determined to baptize her in a sacred Iraqi temple. But with the rising presence of ISIS and the destruction of the family’s ancestral lands along the Tigris, Narin is running out of time.

In 2018 London, the newly divorced Zaleekah, a hydrologist, moves into a houseboat on the Thames to escape her husband. Orphaned and raised by her wealthy uncle, Zaleekah had made the decision to take her own life in one month, until a curious book about her homeland changes everything.

A dazzling feat of storytelling, There Are Rivers in the Sky entwines these outsiders with a single drop of water, a drop which remanifests across the centuries. Both a source of life and harbinger of death, rivers—the Tigris and the Thames—transcend history, transcend fate: “Water remembers. It is humans who forget.”

Beautiful story telling

Follow a drop of water through time and people. I couldn’t stop listening! And I already want to listen again. It’s one of those books that you never want to end

Story of water

An outstanding book with brilliant narration! I was captivated by how the author seamlessly blends historical details into a story that’s both heartbreaking and beautiful. I highly recommend it.

Very Memorable Characters

This was an excellent recounting of a unique story. I was entranced by the tales of King Arthur. Narin, and Zaleekah, and the water that interconnects their fates. I was not familiar with this author before, but plan to enjoy more of her books.

The stunning historical research makes the story

It’s just a beautiful story told with fascinating historical detail. I highly recommend this book.

Stunning!

What can I say? I loved everything from the beautiful characters, nods to history, and the Yazoo culture to the lyrical writing and phenomenal narration. I think this book is to be added to my favorites list! I didn’t want it to end!