A review by phoenixs
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is such a perfect springtime fantasy. It's El-Mohtar's love letter to fantasies like Lud-in-the-Mist, about how the most magical things are often the most mundane ones; such as music, language, and kinship (both familial or otherwise). It's also subtly intertwined a subplot about home and how one the worst things a state or person could do is seek to violently colonize it. El-Mohtar's acknowledgements should be read at least once, as she expresses her grief for how settler-colonialism continues to plague her family's home country of Lebanon and is ravaging countless more families histories and homes in Gaza and many more nations globally. Some of this novel is autobiographical, she admits. 

I was happy to find that there's an excerpt included of an upcoming short story collection from El-Mohtar! While I won't be reading it (I'd rather wait for the full work) it's good to know she has more lovely prose on the way. 

ALSO, gorgeous illustrations by Kathleen Neely throughout, which make the book feel that much more of a timeless tale. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings