In a tremendous departure from Eat, Pray, Love. Liz Gilbert has done it again. I have admired her work through the years and was excited to get an early read of All the Way to the River. This book did not dissapoint! Gilbert delivers an emotional tribute to love, loss and what one needs to do to begin to put the pieces back together again.

I will admit I am a total and complete Liz Gilbert fan. She is one of my favorite authors and I adore every one of her books, for different reasons. I couldn't wait to read "All the Way to the River" as I had known about her relationship with Rayya and caring for her throughout her terminal illness, through various interviews. Yes, this book is heartbreaking, but there were also laugh out loud moments. I was on a roller coaster ride for sure. What I couldn't get over was how brutally honest she was throughout the book. While she calls Rayya out over her addictive behavior, she equally holds the mirror to herself and talks about her addictions in a brutally honest way that made me love and respect her even more. I can't imagine any other author writing with such incredible truth, beauty and sincerity. This is a book I will be thinking about for a long time. Well done Liz!

Review on Substack - https://substack.com/home/post/p-161237138?source=queue

Also reviewed on Goodreads

Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir is the story of her relationship with Rayya Elias, their battle with addiction, Rayya's death from pancreatic and liver cancer, and Elizabeth's journey to healing. This book is a very raw account of the last 18 months of Rayya's life, the love they shared, the destructive behaviors of addiction, recovery, forgiveness, the process of dying, and ultimately love of oneself and others. The book is interspersed with poetry, art, prayer.

The book was very, very well done. It was gut-wrenching, sad, hopeful, and beautiful in more ways than I can express in this review. The author does not shy away from admitting her own failures and being honest about her addiction. Likewise, she is completely open about Rayya's imperfections, something that I think would not be easy to do given the circumstances.

One thing that this book really did for me was educate me on the addictions of love, sex, and codependency. These are not things you typically think about like alcohol or drugs. I mean, how could LOVE be an addiction? I have to admit that I was skeptical at first; in fact, I did what I expect many non-addicts do - think "That's not a real addiction!" But the author does a great job at explaining how these things are very real and very destructive.

I will also admit that I'm very traditionally religious. This book is not that at all. The author's idea of religion and of God is very different. God is not necessarily a traditional image of God, though she and Rayya pray to a God. Her higher power, to use the language of the author, is one that is an enigma. She says this about God toward the beginning of the book:

Not a king, not a judge, not a father.
Not a mother, either - although that comes somewhat closer.
Not the word - but not against words.
Not a list of commandments - but an expression of extraordinary tenderness.
Not a series of laws - but an offering of guidance.
Not the silence - but the silence just beyond the silence.
Not a fact - but a knowing.

I loved that the author was so fluid in her expectations of God. At times throughout the book, she railed against him (of course), she begged for God's intercession, she sought God's counsel, she thanked God for her blessings, she cursed God. I admired that her idea of religion was an ever-present force in her life.

I'm so glad I got to read this really wonderful book. It is by no means an easy read, but well worth the time spent. 4.5⭐s from me!

Many thanks to NetGalley and RiverHead Books for an advanced copy of this book. It's scheduled to be published on September 9, 2025.