by Elif Shafak
Water remembers. It is humans who forget.
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Discussion at 1pm
This is the story of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives – all connected by a single drop of water.
In the ruins of Nineveh, that ancient city of Mesopotamia, there lies hidden in the sand fragments of a long-forgotten poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh. In Victorian London, an extraordinary child is born at the edge of the dirt-black Thames. Arthur’s only chance of escaping poverty is his brilliant memory. In 2014 Turkey, Narin, a Yazidi girl, and her grandmother are living by the River Tigris when they must to journey across war-torn lands in the hope of reaching the sacred valley of their people. In 2018 London, broken-hearted Zaleekhah, a hydrologist, foresees a life drained of all love and meaning – until an unexpected connection to her homeland changes everything. (From the publisher.)
*Note the content warnings at bottom of this post.
Copies available to borrow are at the library. If you wish to own a copy, Gibson's in Concord and MainStreet BookEnds in Warner will graciously offer a discount for our book group.
