There are Rivers in the Sky is the latest novel from Turkish author Elif Shafak, one of my favorite writers. This is a work of deeply researched historical fiction that brings to light the plight of the Yazidi people, and as such, it is at times terribly sad.

Shafak weaves together several story lines, the most prominent that of Aurthur, growing up in extreme poverty in Victorian London, yet possessing such an incredible memory and intellect that he eventually rises above his station and ends up in ancient Mesopotamia, searching for the lost fragments of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The novel also follows the story of Zaleekhah, a geohydrologist, newly divorced and living on a houseboat in modern day London, and young Narin and her Yazidi family in Turkey in 2014.

Water binds all their stories together, and the title of the novel comes from a book called The Flow: Rivers, Water and Wildness by Amy-Jane Beer. Shafak is a wonderful writer and a master storyteller, yet overall this book left me feeling more depressed than hopeful, which was perhaps the author’s intention. Although this is not my favorite of her novels it is still a very worthwhile read.