A review by sarah984
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

challenging reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

There were interesting aspects to this book but (and it feels strange to say this about a book that features

genocide

so prominently) the presentation felt extremely twee to me with the "water memory" framing. I also found the book focused too much on the Arthur character when the women's stories were more interesting and interconnected. I will probably check out more of this author's work (the afterword was very thoughtful) but this one didn't work for me unfortunately.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Classism

Minor: Gun violence, Pedophilia, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Pandemic/Epidemic