There Are Rivers In The Sky

By (author) Shafak Elif
Description:

The breathtaking new novel from the Booker-shortlisted, bestselling author of The Island of Missing Trees and 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World - available for pre-order now

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This is the story of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives – all connected by a single drop of water.

In the ruins of Nineveh, that ancient city of Mesopotamia, there lies hidden in the sand fragments of a long-forgotten poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh.

In Victorian London, an extraordinary child is born at the edge of the dirt-black Thames. Arthur’s only chance of escaping poverty is his brilliant memory. When his gift earns him a spot as an apprentice at a printing press, Arthur’s world opens up far beyond the slums, with one book soon sending him across the seas: Nineveh and Its Remains.

In 2014 Turkey, Narin, a Yazidi girl living by the River Tigris, waits to be baptised with water brought from the holy sit of Lalish in Iraq. The ceremony is cruelly interrupted, and soon Narin and her grandmother must journey across war-torn lands in the hope of reaching the sacred valley of their people.

In 2018 London, broken-hearted Zaleekhah, a hydrologist, moves to a houseboat on the Thames to escape the wreckage of her marriage. Zaleekhah foresees a life drained of all love and meaning – until an unexpected connection to her homeland changes everything.

A dazzling feat of storytelling from one of the greatest writers of our time, Elif Shafak’s There are Rivers in the Sky is a rich, sweeping novel that spans centuries, continents and cultures, entwined by rivers, rains, and waterdrops:

‘Water remembers. It is humans who forget.’

*****

‘Elif Shafak is a unique and powerful voice in world literature’ Ian McEwan

''An extraordinary novel, fresh and cleansing, like the rain bouncing off the metal roof of our lives.'' Colum McCann

''Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf. Make place for her in your heart too. You won''t regret it'' Arundhati Roy

''One of the best writers in the world today'' Hanif Kureishi

''A brilliant, unforgettable novel'' Mary Beard

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Gloriously expansive and intellectually rich... a magnificent achievement
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Richly evocative. A fascinating stream of storytelling.
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Engrossing. I turned the pages hungrily, carried by Shafak’s energetic prose and confident that it was heading towards a coherent and rewarding ending. As ever, Shafak did not disappoint.
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An absorbing novel. Shafak is a novelist whose interest in mapping the intricately related world and its history goes beyond literary device.
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Make place for Elif Shafak on your bookshelf. Make place for her in your heart too. You won''t regret it
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It will surprise no one that this is a brutal, elegant and incredible book. Amazing what Elif Shafak has done here - again! Magic.
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An odyssey, an epic, a lament, and a tale of redemption, There are Rivers in the Sky is a clarion call to honor the elemental forces that shape our memories, our histories, and our world. In short, a masterpiece.
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A book that is astonishing, ingenious and beautiful. A modern classic. Elif Shafak is one of the great writers of our time
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A deep and satisfying sweep of a story combining intellectual pleasures with a transformative empathy. Particular, universal, with head and with heart in perfect balance, this is surely a landmark novel.
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A great, sweep