There Are Rivers in the Sky

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of religious discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Shafak connects three protagonists across time periods and locations through water imagery. How did this interconnected narrative structure affect your reading experience? Did you find the connections between storylines illuminating or challenging to follow?

2. Which storyline—Arthur’s academic pursuit of ancient texts, Narin’s survival of persecution, or Zaleekhah’s search for meaning after personal loss—resonated most strongly with you, and why?

3. Shafak often explores cultural memory and interconnected lives in her works. If you’ve read The Island of Missing Trees or The Forty Rules of Love, how does There Are Rivers in the Sky compare in its approach to cultural identity and human connection?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Water is both a life-giver and a destroyer throughout the novel. Had you thought much about water and its centrality to human life prior to reading this novel?

2. Arthur possesses perfect recall, remembering everything from birth onward. How does memory shape your identity? What would change if you shared Arthur’s extraordinary ability?

3. The Epic of Gilgamesh transforms Arthur’s life and resonates with Nen centuries later. What classic text or story has influenced your understanding of the world in a meaningful way?

4. Zaleekhah struggles to find home, eventually discovering it with Nen rather than her biological family. How has your definition of “home” evolved throughout your life?

5. The novel explores gifts passed through generations—Leila’s foresight becomes Besma’s water dowsing. What abilities or sensibilities have been inherited in your family?

6. Nen tells Zaleekhah that gratitude can eclipse love. Have you observed this tension in relationships you’ve witnessed or experienced?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Arthur eventually questions whether taking artifacts from Nineveh is right. How does his character arc engage with the contemporary debate about museums displaying cultural objects from other societies?

2. Shafak portrays the persecution of the Yazidis across generations. What responsibility do readers and global citizens have to learn about and respond to the persecution of minority groups?

3. The novel depicts water scarcity and control—from ISIS poisoning Yazidi water sources to Zaleekhah’s work on buried urban rivers. How do these fictional portrayals connect to contemporary water justice issues?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Water appears as a raindrop, a river, and a flood throughout the novel. How does Shafak use these different forms of water to reflect the emotional states and circumstances of her characters? Why might the novel progress from “Raindrop” to “Flood”? 

2. The lamassus with their burn marks witness history across centuries. What do these ancient guardian statues symbolize about the persistence of memory and the witnessing of trauma?

3. Cuneiform script connects Arthur’s scholarly work, Besma’s cultural identity, and Zaleekhah’s personal journey. How does this ancient writing system bridge past and present in the narrative?

4. The three protagonists represent different relationships to displacement: Arthur travels voluntarily, Narin is forcibly displaced, and Zaleekhah struggles with cultural belonging. How do these variations explore different facets of migration and identity?

5. Patterns of violence, cultural erasure, and survival repeat across the timelines, from Ashurbanipal’s era to the ISIS attacks. What message does Shafak convey about historical cycles and human nature?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The novel ends with Narin meeting Zaleekhah and Nen at the cemetery. If you were to write an epilogue set five years later, what paths might these characters have taken?

2. Nen tattoos meaningful cuneiform symbols on her clients. If you were to receive a tattoo based on a cultural connection of your own, what symbol would you choose, and where would you place it?

3. Imagine the three protagonists could meet across time for a conversation. What insights about water, memory, or survival might they share with one another?

Need more inspiration for your next meeting? Browse all of our Book Club Resources