What the River Knows Book Club Kit
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez is the official September 2025 pick for the Peanut Blossom Book Club for Recovering Readers.
September and back to school season always put me in the mood for some historical fiction but it can be so difficult to find a title that doesn't take place during the WWII era.
When I spotted the cover for What the River Knows I was thrilled to find something completely different. This novel by Isabel Ibañez ticked off so many boxes from my book club hunting checklist!
- Young Adult
- Historical Fiction
- Magical Realism
- Mystery
- Unique Setting
It is Part 1 of the Secrets of the Nile duology. If you love it you'll want to be sure to check out the sequel Where the Library Hides.
Want to hear my thoughts? You can read my book review of What the River Knows here.
P.S. Just joining us? Don't miss the full list of 2025 book club picks.
Peanut Blossom Book Club
This book club pick is one of the awesome books from our eleventh year of book club.
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What is What the River Knows About?
"Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents―who frequently leave her behind.
When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo, bringing her sketch pads and a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping before he died. But upon her arrival, the old world magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there’s more to her parent’s disappearance than what her guardian led her to believe.
With her guardian’s infuriatingly handsome assistant thwarting her at every turn, Inez must rely on ancient magic to uncover the truth about her parent’s disappearance―or risk becoming a pawn in a larger game that will kill her."
What the River Knows Discussion Questions
I believe the best book club questions to spark a lively discussion in your group help readers make personal connections to the story.
You can read about how to write the best book club questions on your own here, but hopefully these will get you started!
Question 1:
Inez defies the wishes of her guardians and embarks on a solo adventure from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Cairo, Egypt in 1884 while women were still expected to have chaperones. Have you ever travelled alone? How old were you and where did you go? Did you have family support for your adventure?
Question 2:
What was your impression of Inez's parents? The story opens with the news of their passing but as the plot unfolds, we discover more about their whereabouts and activities. Did your opinion of them change through the story? How?
Question 3:
How much did you previously know about Cleopatra, the pyramids, hieroglyphics, and Cairo in general before reading this book? Have you read any other books with these themes? Did you find yourself pausing your reading to research any of the details?
Question 4:
What the River Knows incorporates magical realism to the adventure story, do you think this added to the story or did you find it distracting? Why?
Question 5:
A predominant theme of the book explores the ethics of preserving cultural heritage and protecting historical objects from looters. Which character do you think had the best of intentions and motivations in this regard? Why?
Question 6:
The romance between Whit and Inez falls into the enemies to lovers trope. What draws these two together? Do you think they're a good match?
Question 7:
Predict where the sequel, Where the Library Hides, will take Inez's story.
Book Club Party Menu
I think it is so fun to plan your book club dinner menu or dessert list based on the theme of the book.
This is one of the trickier book club books I've picked when it comes to a matching party menu. Since the book takes place in Egypt, if you're lucky enough to have a Middle Eastern restaurant near you, you could order some classic dishes for take out.
I'd start with baba ghanoush, a dip made from roasted eggplant and tahini, and serve it with pita chips. You could also add a container of store bought hummus and some raw veggies for another dip option.
Order chicken shawarma and pita breads or even a container of falafel if they offer it.
If you really want to make homemade dishes and those recipes sound to tricky, you could make my favorite grilled chimichurri steak, a dish popular in Inez's home country, Argentina.
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