"The River Has Roots" | Reviewed by Andi Kloppe

“The River Has Roots,” by Amal El-Mohtar, is not your typical fantasy or fairytale. Grammar is the magical force in this short story, the source of all the wonders that will surprise you as you follow two sister’s journeys. Grammar is “tense,” the only thing that has the power to make something past, present, or future, proving it a truly powerful magic. This is a tale full of love, devotion, sacrifice, betrayal and determination.  

Step into the town of Thistleford, the home of two sisters, Esther and Ysabel, whose ancestral responsibility is to sing to and care for the willows, particularly a pair of willows, the Professors. The Professors, massive trees unlike other ordinary willows, have bent together and grown entangled with each other over the River Liss. 

Much like the trees bordering its banks, the Liss is not a typical river. It possesses unnatural powers and abilities. The Liss carries grammar, which is filtered by the roots of the Professors and incorporated into their growth. Grammar is the source of all magic in these lands, and flows from the magical land Faerie.

Faerie and Thistleford are not only separated by an expanse of land called the Modal Lands, but also by standing stones called the Refrain and distortions in time. A day in Faerie could last a month in Thistleford. 

People from Thistleford do not typically venture into Faerie. Many of those who have journeyed there have not returned. For that reason, romances do not typically occur between inhabitants of the two lands. 

  Quite by accident, the two sisters find themselves in Faerie. For Ysabel it is a terrifying experience, but for Esther, it has changed her view of the world, and while the sisters managed to return to Thistleford, Esther never seemed to fully leave Faerie behind her. 

Years later, when a romance between Esther and Rin, an inhabitant of Faerie, develops and a jealous encounter occurs, the love and devotion the sisters have for each other is put to the test.

Can Esther keep her promise to never leave her sister? 

Readers will find it easy to get whisked away by the magic of grammar in “The River Has Roots.” The book is under 100 pages, so segments can be re-read to truly understand the meaning behind Amal El-Mohtar’s fantastical ideas and riddles. 

Buy the Book.