There are Rivers in the Sky

Bookseller recommendation

“I loved the scope and the reach of this book. It pleased my brain with its spiderweb-like connection of ideas, a call to protect our planet and a love of knowledge. I was wholly immersed and cared for the characters across the time span.”

— Mog • Warwick Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Another super listen, from the same author that brought you The Island of Missing Trees.”

— Hilary • Bridge Street Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This book is so excellently told, narrated and woven through so many times. I am enjoying the story of Zaleekhah, Narin and Arthur so much and cannot wait to discover how they are all connected. I was heartbroken to be reminded of the atrocity committed against the Yazidi people.”

— Michelle • Bear Hunt Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Elif Shafak's latest, There Are Rivers in the Sky, is a propulsive work of ecofiction, weaving together different periods and places - from Dickensian London to contemporary Kurdistan, from River Thames and the River Tigris - using water and the epic of gilgamesh as touchstones. It's riveting, and complex and quietly queer with characters to fall completely in love with. It'll make you think and feel differently and museums and archives, borders and duty.”

— Mairi • Lighthouse Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Breathtaking in scope and scale. Shafak uses a drop of water to span centuries, characters and geography. It’s never a gimmick though, and ultimately she moves away from it (most of her books have an element like this, last book was a talking fig tree). Heartbreaking and powerful storytelling at every turn. I cannot even imagine the research that went into this. And while she’s writing about a genocide we all lived through, like all historical fiction, she’s also writing about this time right now. You quite simply have to read this book and if you haven’t read Shafak before you must go back too. The audiobook narrator was magnificent.”

— Jaclyn • Hill of Content Bookshop