Kireth
Book Club book of May 2026!
A single drop of water travels from Babylonian times to 1800s London and then to the river Tigris in 2014 before returning to the Thames in 2018. The first location is featured only in a prologue-like sequence but the bulk of the story rotates between the 3 latter places and perspectives in King Arthur of the Slums and Sewers, a young Yazidi slowly going deaf with a storytelling grandmother Narin, and a hydrologist Zaleekhah who is on the edge of leaving a comfortable life. The way all three storylines intertwine and connect was enjoyable, though I felt it either could have been stripped back or taken further - I wasn't quite satisfied with where they landed. I also would have loved more page time given to the ancient setting, but Nineveh is a place that connects all three storylines and the rivers our characters live on.
The writing was beautiful, and the first half full of promise and adventure. Arthur's storyline is the standout, a truly epic tale from beginning to end, and I learnt a lot about Yazidi culture and recent Middle East political struggles through Narin. Her grandmother in particular was an irritatingly fun character. There are emotional moments and this is a book that is ambitious in its approach. The range of diverse historical and social issues covered meant I learnt a lot across this read. But at the centre of it all was water, and there were poetic lines and moments related to this important and too often overseen element of the world around us.
What chance does such a sweet, innocent being have in a world full of sin, sorrow and suffering?
'This is what happens when you love someone - you carry their face behind your eyelifs, and their whispers in your ears, so that even in deep sleep, years later, you can still see and hear them in your dreams.'
While it is true that the body is mortal, the soul is a perennial traveller - not unlike a drop of water.
There are extraordinary people who appear unexpectedly on our paths, and, just as suddenly, they disappear, leaving their indelible marks and a sense of regret. Brief and bright, like a match striking a flame in the dark, they heat the damp kindling of our hearts and then they are gone.
For a moment it feels as if they are sitting around a sparkling, popping fire in the open air, the wind laced with smoke and words, held together by a common thread of narrative. It feels ancient somehow.
"You are tiny, the fire is massive, what do you think you'll achieve with your itty-bitty water?" But the frog said, "If I were to do nothing, would I be any different from you?" Now that was a wise frog...
Book Club book of May 2026!
A single drop of water travels from Babylonian times to 1800s London and then to the river Tigris in 2014 before returning to the Thames in 2018. The first location is featured only in a prologue-like sequence but the bulk of the story rotates between the 3 latter places and perspectives in King Arthur of the Slums and Sewers, a young Yazidi slowly going deaf with a storytelling grandmother Narin, and a hydrologist Zaleekhah who is on the edge of leaving a comfortable life. The way all three storylines intertwine and connect was enjoyable, though I felt it either could have been stripped back or taken further - I wasn't quite satisfied with where they landed. I also would have loved more page time given to the ancient setting, but Nineveh is a place that connects all three storylines and the rivers our characters live on.
The writing was beautiful, and the first half full of promise and adventure. Arthur's storyline is the standout, a truly epic tale from beginning to end, and I learnt a lot about Yazidi culture and recent Middle East political struggles through Narin. Her grandmother in particular was an irritatingly fun character. There are emotional moments and this is a book that is ambitious in its approach. The range of diverse historical and social issues covered meant I learnt a lot across this read. But at the centre of it all was water, and there were poetic lines and moments related to this important and too often overseen element of the world around us.
What chance does such a sweet, innocent being have in a world full of sin, sorrow and suffering?
'This is what happens when you love someone - you carry their face behind your eyelifs, and their whispers in your ears, so that even in deep sleep, years later, you can still see and hear them in your dreams.'
While it is true that the body is mortal, the soul is a perennial traveller - not unlike a drop of water.
There are extraordinary people who appear unexpectedly on our paths, and, just as suddenly, they disappear, leaving their indelible marks and a sense of regret. Brief and bright, like a match striking a flame in the dark, they heat the damp kindling of our hearts and then they are gone.
For a moment it feels as if they are sitting around a sparkling, popping fire in the open air, the wind laced with smoke and words, held together by a common thread of narrative. It feels ancient somehow.
"You are tiny, the fire is massive, what do you think you'll achieve with your itty-bitty water?" But the frog said, "If I were to do nothing, would I be any different from you?" Now that was a wise frog...