What the River Knows

Published in 2023, Isabel Ibañez’s What the River Knows is a young adult historical fantasy novel and the first installment in the Secrets of the Nile duology. The story blends elements of adventure, romance, and mystery against the backdrop of 19th-century Egypt and Argentina. Inez Olivera, a young heiress from Buenos Aires, embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth behind her parents’ mysterious disappearance. Alongside love interest Whitford Hayes, Inez navigates treacherous landscapes and ancient magic in a quest for Cleopatra’s tomb. Ibañez’s honors for her previous works include a nomination for the William C. Morris Award and a place among Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. In this novel, she explores themes of grief, trust, and colonialism.

Citations in this study guide refer to the e-book edition released by St. Martin's Publishing Group in 2023.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of gun violence, homicide, and alcohol addiction.

Plot Summary

For as long as 19-year-old Inez can remember, her parents, Cayo and Lourdes Olivera, have spent several months in Egypt every year. She remains behind in Buenos Aires with her aunt and two cousins, Elvira and Amaranta. She hopes to join them on their archaeological expeditions with her uncle, but that dream is dashed when Inez receives a letter informing her that her parents perished in the desert. Inez runs away from home and travels from Buenos Aires to Alexandria by herself. Her uncle, Ricardo, wants her to return to Argentina immediately, and he sends an employee named Whitford Hayes (“Whit”) to see to it that she boards the ship she just disembarked. Inez evades Whit and takes a train to Cairo. During the train ride, Basil Sterling, a member of the British Antiquities Service, steals a magical golden ring her father gave to her. Inez arrives at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo and checks into her parents’ suite, which still contains their belongings. Inez asks to join her uncle’s search for Cleopatra’s tomb. However, Ricardo remains determined to send her home to Argentina, and he locks her in her hotel suite.

The next day, Inez searches her parents’ suite and discovers an unsent letter in which her mother expressed concerns that Ricardo may be involved in criminal activities. Ricardo finds a chaperone to accompany Inez back to Argentina, but she slips away from the woman and boards Ricardo’s boat in disguise. That night, she overhears her uncle say that her father is dead because he crossed Ricardo.

The next day, the journey up the Nile begins. On the second day of the voyage, Inez’s identity is discovered when she falls into the river. Whit rescues her from a crocodile and then brings her to her uncle, who agrees to let her join the expedition after learning that she can sense objects touched by Cleopatra’s magic. Inez is now an official member of the expedition, and Ricardo tasks her with drawing the ancient buildings they explore. When a severe storm strikes the boat, Inez takes advantage of the confusion and retrieves her mother’s diary from her uncle’s cabin. In the final entry, her mother calls Ricardo a murderer, which convinces Inez that he killed her parents. Inez decides to remain with her uncle so that she can learn the full story. The day after the storm, Ricardo and Inez meet with Abdullah, the archaeological mastermind behind the team’s excavations. The team’s work is kept top-secret to protect the artifacts they discover from thieves.

The excavation team lands on the island of Philae. Ricardo grows impatient when Inez doesn’t immediately detect magic in a temple dedicated to Isis, and Whit urges him to give her more time. Later that day, Whit and Inez get into an argument over his refusal to share information about her parents’ deaths. He mentions that he was dishonorably discharged from the British military but doesn’t say why. Inez finds traces of magic at Trajan’s Kiosk, and she returns to investigate the structure at night. Whit follows her, and they enter a secret tunnel together. Inez determines that Ricardo is digging in the wrong place, and she asks Whit to keep this information secret for a day. He reluctantly agrees. After they share a kiss, Whit tells Inez that they cannot be together because he is betrothed to someone else. Embarrassed, she hurries back to her room, where she finds her mother, still very much alive. Lourdes tells Inez that she is hiding from Ricardo and accuses him of smuggling artifacts.

The next day, Inez and Whit discover Cleopatra’s tomb, and Ricardo follows them. The explorers leave the tomb sealed and begin cataloging the antechambers’ contents. Lourdes gives her daughter a handkerchief that can magically shrink objects and convinces her to gather hundreds of artifacts for her by claiming that this is the only way to keep Ricardo from selling them. On the day that Inez is supposed to leave the island with her mother, she confesses her feelings to Whit, and he reciprocates them. That night, Lourdes betrays her daughter by taking the artifacts and leaving her behind. Inez tells Whit what happened, and he explains that her mother is the one who has been illegally smuggling goods, not Ricardo. On Christmas morning, Whit supports Inez as she tells her uncle and Abdullah what she’s done. They permit her to remain on the team. On the same day that they open Cleopatra’s burial chamber, Inez learns that her cousin, Elvira, has gone missing. She and Whit decide that it is time to return to their respective home countries.

On New Year’s Eve, Inez reaches Cairo with Whit and her uncle, and she finds the runaway Elvira safe and sound at Shepheard’s. However, Ricardo still intends to send Inez back to Argentina. Elvira discovers a letter Cayo left for Inez in the hotel suite. The letter warns Inez not to trust her mother and entreats her to search for her father. At Shepheard’s New Year’s Eve ball, Whit and Inez share a dance, but the moment is somber as they fear their time together is coming to an end. On New Year’s Day, Lourdes’s enemies abduct Elvira, mistaking her for Inez. Inez goes searching for her cousin, Whit follows her, and both are taken prisoner by Elvira’s abductors. Inez doesn’t know her mother’s location, so the kidnappers seal her and Whit in a tomb. Thinking that they will soon perish, Whit tells her that he was dishonorably discharged because he defied orders in an attempt to help a besieged general. They kiss passionately. Ricardo comes to rescue Whit and Inez, but the kidnappers kill Elvira. Inez, Ricardo, and Whit defeat the kidnappers and return to Cairo. Ricardo controls Inez’s inheritance until she marries, and he tries to force her to return to Argentina by cutting her off financially. Whit offers a solution to this problem by asking Inez to marry him. In the Epilogue, Whit’s older brother sails to Egypt carrying a telegram claiming that Inez has fallen for Whit’s schemes.