57 pages • 1 hour read
Isabel IbañezWhat the River Knows
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2023A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Perils of Extending and Withholding Trust
In Ibañez’s novel, trust is a delicate and dangerous balance. The characters create many problems for themselves by refusing to confide in others, but the overly trusting invite peril as well. Inez’s father inadvertently sets the plot into motion when he withholds his trust from Ricardo. The rift between the two men occurs in the fallout of Lourdes’s affair. As Ricardo explains to Inez, “I campaigned hard for Cayo to forgive your mother for the affair […] to the point where he became paranoid, believing I was involved with her schemes” (387). Cayo’s error in judgment leaves him vulnerable to Lourdes’s treachery and leads to his disappearance. Inez would also have benefited from more forthright communication from her father. Because he doesn’t send a note with the ring, Inez doesn’t know the object’s importance or take adequate precautions to protect it: “Papá hadn’t told me anything about where it came from. There hadn’t even been a note with the package. That was the only reason I didn’t cover my ring finger” (33). Due to the withholding of trust and vital information, the stolen ring may guide the villainous Basil Sterling right to Philae so he can desecrate Cleopatra’s mummy. Cayo Olivera seeks to protect the pharaoh’s tomb, but he invites disaster by withholding his trust.
The mutual distrust between Inez on one side and Ricardo and Whit on the other deserves particular attention because it absorbs much of the novel’s focus. Ricardo keeps the truth about her parents from Inez in an attempt to spare her feelings and protect his archaeological expedition. However, excluding his niece from his confidence ends up jeopardizing both when she becomes convinced that he betrayed her parents. The unsent letter addressed to Monsieur Maspero demonstrates the perils of withholding trust. In the planted message, Lourdes accuses Ricardo of being “involved with disreputable individuals associated with illegal activities” (109). If Ricardo had trusted Inez with the painful truth about her parents rather than trying to shield her feelings, she would not have believed the letter and aided her mother’s smuggling. Whit’s history of secrecy is also partly to blame for Inez’s decision to withhold the revelation that her mother is on Philae. In deference to his employer’s wishes, he hides the truth from Inez. Left to draw her own conclusions, Inez assumes that Whit is her uncle’s co-conspirator: “He knew that my parents hadn’t gotten lost in the desert, just like he knew that my uncle was just as corrupt as the antiquity officers he supposedly hated. The hypocrisy galled me” (255). Inez and Ricardo’s mutual distrust becomes a vicious cycle that hinders the development of her romance with Whit. By the time that Inez realizes that Ricardo deserves her trust, she has lost his, perhaps forever.
Extending trust can be just as perilous as withholding it in this story. Inez experiences this firsthand when she helps Lourdes remove hundreds of objects from Cleopatra’s tomb. Inez’s confession to Whit illustrates how her mother abused her love and trust: “She asked for my help. My mother, who I thought had died, asked me to help her […] So, I did” (297). By placing her trust in the wrong person, Inez damages her relationship with the other characters and compromises the team’s mission. Even after the betrayal on Philae, Inez longs to trust her mother: “In my heart, I knew she cared enough about me to be a liability against her enemies. I would bet my life on it” (362). Indeed, Inez does bet her life when she mistakenly assumes that her mother will rescue her from her former business partners; she only survives because Ricardo intervenes. Elvira’s death is the grimmest example of the perils of extending trust. Elvira meets with a stranger she met at the ball and gets into a carriage with him. In actuality, the man was sent to kidnap the credulous girl, and Mr. Burton murders her as a result.
The novel’s ending complicates the theme of the perils of trust by suggesting that Inez may be wrong to trust Whit after all. He asks her to marry him, but he hides his motives from her. His proposal is part of the Hayes brothers’ as-yet- undisclosed plans, and Whit describes himself as a “wayward son delivering on his promise” to his family (391). The final chapter and Epilogue make it clear that Inez’s struggles to determine whom she can trust are far from over. The theme of trust shapes the novel’s mystery and suspense and plays a key role in the protagonist’s relationships.
Living with Grief and Loneliness
Grief and loneliness serve as powerful motivators for the protagonist. Although she lives with loving relatives in Argentina, her parents’ long voyages to Egypt pain her. Grief sets the plot into motion; news of her parents’ deaths compels her to cross an ocean in search of an explanation of what happened and what was so important to them that they left her behind. During her time in Egypt, her grief becomes even more acute as she is surrounded by reminders of her parents. Although thinking of them hurts, she likes to feel close to them. For example, a visit to a bakery frequented by her parents stirs up memories: “I would give anything to sit across from my mother again, to hear her voice, to have her easel next to mine, the pair of us painting side by side” (94). Grief adds a bittersweet edge to Inez’s first time in Egypt because she hoped to share these experiences with her parents. Inez’s narration testifies to the interconnectedness of grief and loneliness.
The theme of grief grows more complicated as Inez gradually discovers the truth about her parents. Some of what she learns about them is positive, such as the noble mission behind their work with Abdullah and Ricardo. Other truths, such as their marital strife and the reasons behind it, are devastating. However, no secret compares to the revelation that her mother is still alive. In Chapter 22, Inez tells Lourdes, “I mourned you. I’m still mourning you” (241). Inez’s choice of words emphasizes that her mother is not the person she thought she was and their relationship cannot return to the way it was. After Lourdes’s treachery is revealed, Inez’s grief becomes even more complex, mixing with a furious resolve to recover the stolen artifacts from her mother. Inez’s grief for her father is also complicated by the message she receives from him near the end of the novel. Just as she is coming to terms with his death, she learns that he may still be alive, and the certainty of grief gives way to the fragile hope that they can be reunited: “It was foolish. It was almost impossible. But it could be true” (388). Revelations about Inez’s parents add nuance to the theme of grief.
Inez is wracked with grief and loneliness at the start and end of the story, but under very different circumstances. Inez’s grief for Elvira at the end is especially painful because it is mingled with guilt: “She’d come after me, followed me, and I’d failed to protect her. How could I ever forgive myself?” (386). Inez also blames her mother for Elvira’s murder, and this intensifies her drive to stop Lourdes. Elvira’s death is one of many factors that contribute to the protagonist’s isolation at the end of the story. Ricardo cuts her off financially to pressure her to return to Argentina, where he believes she will be safe. However, she wants to remain in Egypt, not least because she expects her relatives in Buenos Aires to blame her for her cousin’s death: “I’d have to face my aunt and explain to her how it was all my fault” (393). To complete Inez’s isolation, Whit regresses into a distant version of himself, one that seems far removed from the vulnerable, protective young man who showed her love and friendship. Despite everything that changes for Inez over the course of the novel, grief and loneliness remain her constant companions and primary motivators.
Power Dynamics and Colonialism
The protagonist’s adventures in occupied Egypt explore the theme of power dynamics and colonialism. Inez’s love interest, Whit, has a unique perspective on the situation as someone who was discharged from the British military and now works to preserve Egyptian history. He likens European colonialism to Rome’s aggression during Cleopatra’s reign: “Waging war, plundering what they found, and ruling without compromise […] And it’s happening all over again in Egypt. Everyone wants something, the French and Dutch, and imperial Britain” (102). Mr. Basil Sterling, one of the story’s antagonists, embodies imperial Britain’s greed and plays a key role in developing the theme of colonialism. He claims, “We’re slowly, but surely, reshaping the country until it’s more civilized” (32). His words echo a racist, ethnocentric justification historically used by colonizers, what Rudyard Kipling termed “the white man’s burden.” In addition, Mr. Sterling’s profession and actions underline how corrupt and exploitative the colonial government is. He is an officer in the Antiquities Service, which makes him “no better than a grave robber” in Inez’s eyes (34). He confirms the truth of her accusation by searching for Cleopatra’s tomb with the intention of ingesting her mummy to treat his consumption.
Ricardo and Abdullah’s mission also examines the conditions of Egyptians living under British colonial rule. In Chapter 5, Ricardo confronts Sir Evelyn, the consul general of Egypt: “It is you who has closed schools, barred Egyptians from higher education and opportunities for women” (59). Although Ricardo is from Argentina and not subject to these restrictions himself, he is incensed by the injustice done to his late wife, Zazi, and his brother-in-law, Abdullah. The novel further explores the theme by contrasting Abdullah’s genius with the disrespect he receives from the colonial power structure: “Abdullah was the brains behind every dig site. He was my parents’ business partner, the brilliant man who knew everything there was to know about ancient Egyptians” (48). Despite his expertise, he is barred from deciding how his country’s artifacts are handled. Because the Antiquities Service doesn’t care about “safeguarding Egypt’s past” (286), Abdullah and Ricardo excavate historically significant sites and carefully record their findings for future generations of Egyptians. In this thematic context, the search for Cleopatra’s tomb is not merely an exciting adventure but also a race between those who wish to preserve Egyptian history and those who would place priceless artifacts in the hands of colonizers and tourists for their own profit.
In addition to colonialism, there are other power dynamics at work that either help or hinder the protagonist. In Chapter 2, Mr. Sterling leverages his male privilege to steal Inez’s ring and label her as “hysterical. Someone to be dismissed” (102). Despite this incident, Inez herself possesses considerable privilege due to her wealth and family connections. This power enables her to undertake her journey to Egypt and provides her with luxuries, such as her parents’ opulent suite at Shepheard’s and the comforts of the Elephantine. The theme of power dynamics grows more complex when Ricardo cuts off Inez’s access to her inheritance at the end of the story. He warns, “Without money, you won’t last in a foreign country, Inez” (390). The protagonist has faced many dangers up to this point in this book, but her wealth has always offered a form of security. Inez’s newly uncertain financial situation also involves gendered power dynamics because she’s expected to marry before she can take control of her own inheritance. The ending implies that Whit proposes to gain access to her money, using her precarious situation to advance his hidden motives. The theme of power dynamics and colonialism defines the setting, shapes the characters’ experiences, and adds urgency to the plot.
