A review by mjvanhusen
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I loved this book so much I didn’t want it to end. Right from the beginning I was transported and reminded of why I fell in love with historical fiction as a kid. It’s an interesting read after just having read Babel and watched Shogun, since it offers another story related to history, exploration, and colonization. For I awhile I was trying to figure out if Shafak was romanticizing colonization and western countries stealing artifacts, but I think she is accurately critical of the motivations. The use of water as a central theme that connects the characters is similar to the Overstory. This book is incredibly well researched and Shafak notes when she changed history a bit. I appreciate her attention to genocides that have been forgotten and current atrocities occurring, such as the missing Yazidi women. Shafak is an incredible writer and everyone should read this book!