There Are Rivers in the Sky Summary, Characters and Themes

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak is a profound novel that weaves together three distinct timelines and locations, connected by the mystical and ever-present forces of water, history, and memory. 

Set against the backdrop of the ancient Tigris River and the River Thames, the story spans from the ruins of Nineveh in ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day Turkey and England. Through the lives of three characters—Arthur, a boy from 19th-century England; Narin, a Yazidi girl from 2014 Iraq; and Zaleekhah, a hydrologist in 2018 London—the novel explores themes of identity, loss, and the power of history and human connection.

Summary

There Are Rivers in the Sky spans three intertwining timelines and locations, each reflecting the transformative power of water, history, and human resilience.

The narrative begins in 640 BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, where Assyrian King Ashurbanipal reigns over Nineveh, a city on the banks of the Tigris River. Ashurbanipal, a ruler of great intellect yet brutal power, commissions the creation of a grand library. 

His reign ends in ruin, but from the ashes of the library emerges a remarkable relic—The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of humanity’s oldest known works. This epic would come to shape the lives of three other characters across centuries.

In 1840 London, Arthur Smyth, born in the slums by the River Thames, possesses a brilliant memory and an innate talent for languages. Despite his abusive family background, Arthur’s gift for memorization secures him an apprenticeship at a printing press. He becomes fascinated by ancient civilizations, especially Mesopotamia, after witnessing artifacts like the lamassus, colossal stone sculptures from the Tigris, being transported to the British Museum. 

His interest deepens when Charles Dickens introduces him to the book Nineveh and Its Remains. Through intense study, Arthur uncovers cuneiform tablets that reveal a flood story similar to the biblical Noah’s Ark, propelling Arthur into an obsession with The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Arthur’s discovery brings him fame, and he is selected for an archaeological mission to Nineveh to uncover missing lines from the Flood Tablet. 

Before leaving, Arthur is coerced into an engagement with Mabel, a decision that weighs heavily on him. In Constantinople, Arthur explores the city and encounters a qanun, an ancient musical instrument that fascinates him. 

He witnesses a fire at a brothel and saves the qanun, an act that connects him to a mysterious woman, Leila, a Yazidi diviner in the village of Zêrav, near Nineveh. During his stay, Arthur learns that Leila has foreseen a massacre of Yazidis, which will soon unfold.

Arthur eventually uncovers the missing lines of the Flood Tablet, but when he returns to England, he is trapped in a domestic life with Mabel. After years of longing, Arthur returns to Zêrav, only to find the massacre has devastated the Yazidi community. 

As he searches for Leila, Arthur contracts dysentery and dies, with his body buried near the cemetery where Leila’s family lies.

In 2014, Narin, a Yazidi girl living in Turkey, is diagnosed with a rare illness that will cause her to lose her hearing. Her grandmother, Besma, takes her on a journey to Iraq to complete her baptism before Narin’s deafness takes hold. The journey is disrupted by the rise of ISIS militants, and they are captured. Besma is killed, and Narin is sold into captivity.

In 2018, Zaleekhah, a hydrologist of Turkish descent, moves into a houseboat on the Thames after separating from her husband. 

She grapples with her past, especially the loss of her parents in a flood on the Tigris River when she was a child. Zaleekhah’s life becomes further complicated when she uncovers the truth about her uncle’s involvement in trafficking Narin as an organ donor for his granddaughter. In a final act of redemption, Zaleekhah and her lover, Nen, work to rescue Narin from captivity. 

The novel concludes with Zaleekhah and Nen meeting Narin at a cemetery in Hasankeyf, where they connect with the spirits of their ancestors, symbolizing the healing of past wounds.

Characters

Arthur Smyth

Arthur Smyth, the central figure of the 19th-century narrative, is a complex character marked by both intellectual brilliance and social disadvantage. Born into squalor along the River Thames, Arthur is given little chance for a prosperous life due to his abusive father and mentally unstable mother.

However, his prodigious memory and natural talent for languages set him apart from others in his social class. These traits earn him an apprenticeship at a publishing house, where he becomes fascinated with ancient civilizations, particularly Mesopotamia. His encounter with the British Museum’s exhibits, especially the lamassus from the Tigris River region, sparks a lifelong obsession with the ancient world, culminating in his deep involvement with the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Arthur’s intelligence and curiosity drive him to a position where he deciphers cuneiform writing, uncovering ancient tablets that allude to a flood myth similar to that of Noah’s Ark, long before the Bible. His discovery elevates him into the academic and public spotlight.

However, his personal life is marred by a strained engagement with Mabel and an unfulfilled yearning for the discoveries he left behind in Nineveh. His passion for the Yazidi culture, particularly his attachment to Leila, a seer from Zêrav, defines his emotional journey.

His tragic end, having contracted dysentery while searching for Leila, emphasizes his enduring devotion to a place and people he could not leave behind. In death, Arthur is remembered for his intellectual legacy, as well as for his compassion toward the Yazidis, highlighting the theme of forgotten histories.

Narin

Narin is a ten-year-old Yazidi girl caught between the pressures of her culture and the catastrophic events of her time. Diagnosed with a disorder that will soon rob her of her hearing, Narin becomes the focus of her grandmother Besma’s efforts to baptize her in a sacred Iraqi temple before she loses her hearing.

Narin’s story is one of both innocence and tragedy. Her family’s journey to complete her baptism is disrupted by the rise of ISIS and the looming destruction of her homeland along the Tigris River. The threat of violence forces Narin’s family to flee, and she finds herself caught up in the harrowing brutality of war.

As her grandmother shares the wisdom of their culture, Narin learns about the family’s deep connection to water, with the ability to douse for water being passed down through generations. Yet, Narin’s fate is grim as she is abducted by ISIS militants after a failed escape to the Sinjar mountains.

Sold into captivity, she faces immense trauma but remains a symbol of the resilience of her people. Her story, intertwined with the past, brings together the fates of various characters, including Arthur, whose past gift to the Yazidis in the form of the qanun offers a moment of symbolic connection across time.

Narin’s survival and eventual return to the Hasankeyf cemetery bring a sense of closure, as she becomes a living testament to the enduring pain and perseverance of the Yazidi community.

Zaleekhah

Zaleekhah’s narrative is both a personal and professional journey marked by emotional turmoil and an exploration of her heritage. A hydrologist by profession, Zaleekhah struggles with her personal life following her divorce. She retreats to a houseboat on the Thames, seeking solace and distance from the chaos of her past.

Orphaned at a young age after the tragic death of her parents in a flood by the Tigris River, Zaleekhah was raised by her wealthy uncle, Malek. This traumatic loss has a lasting impact on her, influencing her emotional decisions and worldview. Her character is defined by her scientific mind, but also by the emotional weight she carries due to her past.

Zaleekhah’s story takes a turn when she learns of her uncle’s plans to obtain a kidney for her cousin Lily, only to discover that the source is a Yazidi girl—Narin—whom he plans to purchase. This revelation causes a deep moral conflict within Zaleekhah, who is forced to confront the complicity of her family in the commodification of suffering.

Her growing relationship with Nen, an Irish woman who shares her fascination with Mesopotamia, provides her with the emotional support to confront her uncle and attempt to rescue Narin. Zaleekhah’s arc culminates in her journey to Hasankeyf, where she and Nen help Narin escape the horrors that have been inflicted upon her.

Zaleekhah’s story is one of reconciliation—of reconciling with her past, with her heritage, and with her sense of justice. Through her connection to the rivers of her homeland and her involvement with Narin’s liberation, Zaleekhah’s character embodies both the pain and hope that runs through the book’s central themes of memory, history, and healing.

Themes

How Time, Water, and Memory Weave Through Generations

In There Are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak explores the cyclical nature of history, where events from the distant past echo in the present, shaping individual destinies. This theme is encapsulated in the constant presence of the Tigris and Thames rivers, both symbolic of the flow of time and memory.

The characters’ lives are all intricately tied to these rivers, suggesting that history repeats itself through water, which transcends geographical boundaries and eras. From the ancient ruins of Nineveh and the discovery of the Epic of Gilgamesh to the modern struggles of Yazidis and the traumas of displacement, the novel shows how the past continuously resurfaces.

Water, a force of both life and death, holds the stories of those who lived before. This idea of repetition is also seen in the recurring motif of water’s power to both preserve and erase memory, suggesting that while humans may forget, the natural world—embodied by rivers—remembers.

The novel offers a meditation on how the struggles of one generation can reverberate through time, influencing future generations, especially when ancient wounds are not fully healed.

The Destructive and Healing Power of Trauma Across Generations

Another profound theme in There Are Rivers in the Sky is the long-lasting impact of trauma, both personal and collective, and how it passes through generations. Shafak delves into the painful legacies of violence, displacement, and loss, which are central to the characters’ stories.

The Yazidi people’s history of massacres and their continuous struggles against oppression permeate Narin’s journey, and these themes resonate deeply with the tragedies faced by Arthur and Zaleekhah. Shafak further explores how trauma can become embedded in cultural memory, not only through personal experiences but also through collective histories.

This trauma is both a source of suffering and an impetus for survival, as seen in the Yazidis’ continued fight to preserve their culture and beliefs. The novel portrays how trauma is inherited, a cycle that can either bind generations in shared suffering or act as a catalyst for healing, depending on how individuals and communities confront it.

The Intersection of Identity, Cultural Memory, and the Burden of Legacy

In this novel, Shafak intricately weaves together themes of identity and the burdens of cultural heritage, as seen through the personal and historical trajectories of her characters. For Zaleekhah, the daughter of Turkish parents, her identity as an immigrant in England shapes much of her internal struggle, particularly as she contemplates her past and her place in the world.

The weight of cultural memory is felt acutely by each character, as they grapple with their ancestral histories while forging their paths. Narin, through her grandmother’s teachings and stories, inherits a sense of belonging to her Yazidi roots, yet she is thrust into the chaos of modern political conflicts that threaten to erase her heritage.

The connection to cultural memory and identity becomes even more profound in the context of water: the Tigris and Thames serve not only as geographical markers but as metaphors for the fluidity and instability of identity. The rivers represent how one’s sense of self is constantly shaped, eroded, and reshaped by both external forces and the remnants of the past.

The characters in Shafak’s novel struggle with the weight of history—whether it be the historical trauma of their people or the legacy of ancient civilizations—and their journeys reveal how cultural memory can either be a source of strength or a burden that keeps them anchored to the past.

The Role of Language, Storytelling, and Myth in Reconstructing the Self

Shafak’s novel underscores the transformative power of language, storytelling, and myth in shaping one’s self and understanding of the world. Each of the three protagonists—Arthur, Narin, and Zaleekhah—uses language, either through books, oral traditions, or personal narratives, to reclaim a sense of agency in their lives.

For Arthur, his fascination with ancient languages and the Epic of Gilgamesh opens new intellectual and emotional worlds, allowing him to connect with distant cultures and ideas. His ability to read cuneiform is not merely academic but becomes an act of resurrection, giving voice to forgotten histories.

Similarly, Narin’s grandmother, Besma, tells stories that preserve the Yazidi culture, despite the imminent threat of obliteration. The power of myth is particularly evident in the way the Epic of Gilgamesh intertwines with the characters’ lives, providing a framework for understanding their own journeys.

For Zaleekhah, language becomes an instrument of healing, both in her scientific work as a hydrologist and in her search for emotional truth. Through these characters, Shafak shows that storytelling and myth are not only tools of historical preservation but also methods of self-reconstruction.

Language, in its many forms, allows the characters to navigate the complexity of their identities and histories, offering them both solace and clarity in times of crisis.

The Interplay of Love, Loss, and Redemption in the Face of Despair

At the heart of There Are Rivers in the Sky is the exploration of love, loss, and redemption. The narrative weaves a tapestry of intimate relationships that reflect the characters’ attempts to find meaning and connection amidst overwhelming suffering.

Arthur’s love for Leila, which is never fully realized, represents the theme of love lost to history and circumstance. His tragic end and his search for Leila after her family’s massacre reflect the deep ache of unfulfilled desires.

Similarly, Zaleekhah’s relationship with Nen is a tender yet fraught exploration of love and self-discovery. Zaleekhah’s emotional turmoil—stemming from her separation from her husband, the death of her parents, and her complex ties to her uncle—pushes her toward a journey of healing, one where love becomes a transformative force.

The theme of redemption is particularly pronounced in Zaleekhah’s final act of saving Narin from her uncle’s horrifying plans, representing the possibility of redemption through acts of compassion and defiance. Through the characters’ trials, Shafak illustrates how love, despite its ephemeral and often painful nature, can lead to moments of personal growth and moral clarity.

Redemption, in this context, is not only a personal journey but also an act of resistance against the forces of oppression and historical amnesia.