A Liberating and Thoughtful Memoir: Read Our Review for All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert

In 2000, Elizabeth Gilbert met Rayya. They became friends, then best friends, then inseparable. When tragedy entered their lives, the truth was finally laid bare: the two were in love. They were also a pair of addicts, on a collision course toward catastrophe.

What if your most beautiful love story turned into your biggest nightmare? What if the dear friend who taught you so much about your self-destructive tendencies became the unstable partner with whom you disastrously reenacted every one of them? And what if your most devastating heartbreak opened a pathway to your greatest awakening?

All the Way to the River is a landmark memoir that will resonate with anyone who has ever been captive to love – or to any other passion, substance or craving – and who yearns, at long last, for liberation.

Elizabeth Gilbert is the number one New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and several other internationally bestselling books of fiction and non-fiction. Her story collection Pilgrims was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award; The Last American Man was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. 

When I finished reading All the Way to the River, I needed a moment to really think about what I had just read. Every word, every scene, every page, was true. This book is personal, it’s a piece of Gilbert that she’s put together with a lot of love, and, through her hard work, shared with the world. I appreciated the story, the immense highs of the love story, and the sorrowful lows of the nightmares that slowly unravel.

Gilbert has written All the Way to the River, in a way that it feels like you’re with her, going through her horrifying mishaps, which, to a degree, feel extremely relatable. I sympathised and empathised with a lot of Gilbert’s journey and the impact Rayya had on her life. Many readers will find certain phrases and words throughout the book that’ll stick with them long after they’ve finished reading. Honestly, I can still see some of Gilbert’s writing in my mind while I put this review together.

Though the book is raw and emotional, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Gilbert hasn’t just given us a new book; she’s given us interesting morals and lessons. I can’t imagine looking back on such a dramatic past would’ve been easy, but I’m so grateful Gilbert put in the time and effort to relay everything that happened. All the Way to the River is an amazing example of overcoming hardships and redefining oneself regardless of their past vices. This memoir should definitely be at the top of your TBR pile! It’s unforgettable.

Buy a copy of All the Way to the River here.