There Are Rivers in the SkyThere Are Rivers in the Sky
What it's about
A single raindrop falls on the ancient city of Nineveh, and the novel follows it through three lives across time: Arthur, a poor boy in Victorian London who becomes the man to decipher the Epic of Gilgamesh; Narin, a Yazidi girl on the banks of the Tigris in 2014; and Zaleekhah, a hydrologist in present-day London.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Elif Shafak writes a sweeping, lyrical novel about water, memory and history.
You'll love it if you liked
Cloud Cuckoo Land
The Epic of Gilgamesh
North WoodsGood to know
It moves among three stories. There's the genocide of the Yazidis.
By the numbers
- Readers87 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller22 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Epic
More by Elif Shafak
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The Island of Missing TreesIf you like this, read next
The Underground Railroad
Lessons in Chemistry
Babel
Small Things Like These
All the Light We Cannot See
TrustExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is There Are Rivers in the Sky worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 71.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is There Are Rivers in the Sky about?
A single raindrop falls on the ancient city of Nineveh, and the novel follows it through three lives across time: Arthur, a poor boy in Victorian London who becomes the man to decipher the Epic of Gilgamesh; Narin, a Yazidi girl on the banks of the Tigris in 2014; and Zaleekhah, a hydrologist in present-day London.
How long does it take to read There Are Rivers in the Sky?
About 12 hours (483 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after There Are Rivers in the Sky?
If you liked it, try Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, The Epic of Gilgamesh by Unknown or North Woods by Daniel Mason.