The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Shafak, Elif. There Are Rivers in the Sky. Alfred A Knpof, 2024.

The novel opens discussing King Ashurbanipal and his library in ancient Nineveh. He is a man deeply interested in education, and he is also a ruthless man. So many people die under his watch and are thrown into the river that the fish die. A single raindrop touches Ashurbanipal’s head, and this raindrop also touches the other main characters in the novel even though their lives are separated by centuries and countries.

While the novel switches between viewpoints and protagonists, Arthur is the first in order of historical chronology. He is born to poor parents, and his mother wants him to be killed because she cannot take care of the children she has. Those around her take care of him while she recovers from childbirth, and he is given the name King Arthur of the Sewers and Slums. One day his abusive father takes him to Bradbury & Evans, a publishing house, to find a job. The boy gets a job because of his remarkable memory, and Bradbury becomes a mentor to him, eventually loaning him books to read. Arthur eventually gets a second job at the British Museum where he works with pieces of ancient tablets. From there, he wins the opportunity to go to the old lands of Nineveh to help excavate artifacts. He has learned to decode the cuneiform, and he eventually learns how to read The Epic of Gilgamesh. It is this epic that he hopes to find in its entirety. While in the ancient lands, he lives among the Yazidi people and befriends, in particular, a woman named Leila who is a diviner. Eventually most of the Yazidi people are killed or imprisoned, and Leila escapes. While trying to find her, Arthur dies. He is buried among the Yazidis. His main regret is that he was not a better father to his children back in England.

Narin is a descendant of Leila. Both Narin’s mother and grandmother as well as Narin herself inherited some of the powers Leila had, but Leila insisted that none of her female relatives develop their divining power because of the ways in which seeing horrible things from the future can destroy a person. Besma, Narin’s grandmother, is both a healer and a woman who can detect water underneath the Earth. Narin, herself, will one day go blind. Besma wants Narin baptized in Iraq as is their custom. They travel to the land for the baptism as Besma shares ancient stories with Narin. ISIS attacks the Yazidis, and Besma is taken away when she tries to find water for the dying people. It is likely that she was buried alive. Narin is taken as a slave, and she is spared sexual exploitation during her earliest days. Eventually she is sold to a person who tries to sell her kidneys but is saved by Zaleekhah once Zaleekhah finds out.

Zaleekhah lives in London during the same time period that Narin is alive in the Middle East. Zaleekhah has just separated from her husband and lives on a rented houseboat. She befriends the houseboat’s owner, Nen. Nen is a tattoo artist who is well versed in the culture of Nineveh and who does tattoos in cuneiform. She is a lesbian, and at one point Zaleekhah and Nen kiss. It is unclear how attracted to Nen Zaleekhah is and whether the two eventually will become romantically involved.

Zaleekhah’s niece, Lily, needs a kidney transplant, and the family has a very hard time getting her one. Zaleekhah’s Uncle Malek and his wife decide to purchase one from Narin. Zaleekhah learns about this and confronts her uncle. He is certain she will let the transplant occur without giving them trouble because he housed her and cared for her ever since her parents’ death. Additionally, Uncle Malek’s money will help the enslaved girl. Zaleekhah cannot allow this to happen, however, and she tells Helen where the kidney is coming from. The transplant is cancelled. Zaleekhah purchases Narin’s freedom for her.