Where the River Runs Gold by Sita Brahmachari: a review

Happy New Year everyone I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season surrounded by all the love and joy you guys deserve. Now here we are in 2023 and a toast to a wonderful year of books and literature for us all. (cue fancy glasses chinking). For my first book of 2023, I thought I'd revisit one of my favourite books of all time.

‘Where the river runs gold’ is one of the books that originally got me into reading once again. It was a

book that bought me out of a dark place with beautiful themes of love and light despite secrets and

darkness. And yes I am aware this is considered a ‘children's book’, but I do think that this is a very

highly recommended read for anybody adult or child.

Inspired by the youth environmental activists of today, the book tells the story of an 11-year-old girl in

Shifa and her twin Themba. These are now extinct so children are forced to labour on farms pollinating

plants by hand. The farm that the twins happen to be sent to is known to be cruel and strict and Shifa

knows that Themba would not be able to survive there.

This book left me speechless and emotional and it has to be one of the books that left the greatest

impression on me. Despite the book being based on a dystopian future, the storyline seems so parallel

to the way that our world is descending into climate chaos, that it does not seem all too unrealistic. The

character development throughout the book is amazing and I don't think you appreciate it until you

reach the very end of the book. Brahmachari demonstrates the moral idea of not judging people on their

appearance and that some people aren't as they first seem.

I'm also aware that some people were unhappy with the ending, saying it felt rushed or ‘messy’, but I

don't think that this is the case as I was so wrapped up in the storytelling that I didn't notice the book

was drawing to its finish. I don't mind the action sequences being less explained because I think it leaves

more up to the imagination and you can picture the scenes exactly how you imagine them.

For me, this book is an absolute five stars, and you need to give this book a chance if you think that

you might be interested in it.

Here’s to a new year of reading,

-Mei x