By Gurnish Kaur, Natalia Alvarez and Christy Clark
Not to be Overlooked introduces a variety of wonderful but lesser-known books to assist readers in finding their next great reads. This week’s article reviewsThere Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak, On Beauty by Zadie Smith and The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Frances Frenaye.
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
Review by Gurnish Kaur
Sunday Times bestseller, There Are Rivers in the Sky is a poetic meditation on connection, memory and the intersections of personal and collective histories. True to Shafak’s signature style, she weaves a narrative that is both deeply introspective and universal, using rivers as a metaphor for life’s fluidity and unpredictability.
The novel alternates between two timelines, drawing readers into the lives of characters separated by centuries yet bound by shared human experiences. Shafak’s prose is lyrical, often bordering on the mystical, and her ability to evoke vivid imagery makes the book an immersive experience. The rivers – both literal and metaphorical – serve as conduits for exploring themes of loss, resilience and transformation, guiding the reader through the emotional landscapes of the characters.
What stands out is Shafak’s mastery of connecting the natural world with human emotion. Her reflections on the environment’s influence on identity and culture feel especially poignant in today’s context of global uncertainty. However, the novel’s fragmented structure may challenge some readers, as the transitions between timelines occasionally disrupt the flow.
There Are Rivers in the Sky is a beautifully crafted tapestry of emotions and ideas. It invites readers to ponder the rivers in their own lives – those that connect, separate and ultimately shape us.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Review by Christy Clark
Zadie Smith was only twenty-four when she published her first novel – the genre-crossing, bizarrely satirical White Teeth. What sometimes gets overlooked is the illustrious career she's built since her debut. From the tragicomic contemporary NW to the Dickens-reminiscent historical fiction The Fraud, each of Smith's books is unique and daring. The same can be said of her 2005 novel On Beauty.
The title is borrowed from Elaine Scarry’s 1998 essay, On Beauty and Being Just, and tells the story of a family feud spanning continents, class divides and generational gulfs. Above all, the novel's racial significance makes it stand out, as it recontextualises and pays homage to E.M. Forster’s 1910 classic novel Howard's End.
Even if the reader knows the story of Howard's End, or has seen the film, On Beauty is never predictable. Smith's ability to captivate attention through identity and character rather than explicitly plot demands attention.
For an author so renowned for describing her native London, On Beauty is proof that Smith's sense of place is far from singularly regional. Her description of the Massachusetts college town Wellington is delectable, from the campus’s proliferating autumn leaves to the modern, history-soaked family home of the Kipps. The narrative examines modern-day America and dualities, both contemporary and historical in its scope, black and white, American and English, loved and hated.
Many adages are spoken throughout the novel, but perhaps most memorable is the line, “Time is how you spend your love,” taken from a poem by Smith’s husband, Nick Laird; something sublimely poetic in itself. By this metric, reading On Beauty, something you must, absolutely do, is a strong profession of affection.
The Dry Heart by Natalia Ginzburg, translated by Frances Frenaye
Review by Natalia Alvarez
Originally published in Italian in 1947, an edition of The Dry Heart was translated by Frances Frenaye and released for English-speaking audiences in 2019 through New Directions. This short but powerful novel opens with a declaration from an unnamed narrator that she has just killed her husband; “shot him between the eyes” to be more specific. The narrator’s obvious unhappiness seems to suggest that this murder was inevitable, but the question remains: why?
As the novel progresses, readers journey through the couple’s good and bad times together. We learn how the two met and all that came after, including infidelity, lost children and general mundanity. As the offences are laid out and a picture begins to form for readers, we can better sympathise with the position our narrator found herself in and see why her murderous act was always inevitable.
While this novel may appear simple on the surface due to the ending being laid out from the first line, it still draws audiences in and leaves them wondering what new details they will learn about their bold and remorseless narrator. The Dry Heart speaks to both past and current domestic issues, despite its original publication decades earlier. Ginzburg’s ability to reach new audiences has made her an author who should be widely read, and this new translation has allowed her work to be introduced to English-speakers.