There Are Rivers in the Sky

"Turkish British writer Elif Shafak captivates with terrific storytelling, emphasizing that human arrogance and frailty can drive history. A page-turner, the novel starts with a single raindrop and follows it through centuries. Shafak involves us with a wide variety of protagonists from around the world; ancient Assyria is as transfixing as immigrant London in the 21st century. The author takes lessons from history to give us messages for the present. Iraq figures as home to vast civilizations, and as a place of conflict today. Whether categorized as Kurdish or Yazidi, one characters says, “We are the memory tribe.”"