# Not a River

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Not_a_River
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Not_a_River.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_a_River
> Source revision: 1354635395
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

***Not a River*** (original title: ****No es un río****) is the third novel by Argentine writer [Selva Almada](/source/Selva_Almada) ([Villa Elisa, Entre Ríos](/source/Villa_Elisa,_Entre_R%C3%ADos), 1973). It was first published by [Random House](/source/Random_House) in Buenos Aires in 2020[1] and the English translation, by Annie McDermott, was released in 2024 by Edinburgh's [Charco Press](/source/Charco_Press).[2] The author describes the novel as the third installment in her *Trilogía de varones* ("Men's Trilogy") following *[El viento que arrasa](/source/El_viento_que_arrasa)* (2012; *The Wind That Lays Waste*, 2019) and *[Ladrilleros](/source/Ladrilleros_(novel))* (2013; *Brickmakers*, 2021).[1]

## Plot

The novel tells the story of two men from the [Argentine littoral](/source/Argentine_Littoral) who decide to take their dead friend's son on a fishing trip to the same location on the [River Paraná](/source/River_Paran%C3%A1) where his father drowned years earlier. Tensions arise with the inhabitants of the island where they make camp.[1][3]

## Critical reception

Both *[Clarín](/source/Clar%C3%ADn_(Argentine_newspaper))* and *[La Nación](/source/La_Naci%C3%B3n_(Buenos_Aires))* included *No es un río* among their best books of 2020, and it was shortlisted for the [Mario Vargas Llosa Novel Prize](/source/Mario_Vargas_Llosa_Novel_Prize) in 2021.[2][4] The English translation was also shortlisted for the 2024 [International Booker Prize](/source/International_Booker_Prize)[5] and the 2025 [Dublin Literary Award](/source/Dublin_Literary_Award).[6]

## References

1. Woinilowicz, María Elvira (11 October 2020). [""No es un río", la nueva novela de Selva Almada"](https://www.pagina12.com.ar/297071-no-es-un-rio-la-nueva-novela-de-selva-almada). *Página/12*. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

1. ["*Not a River*: Selva Almada"](https://charcopress.com/bookstore/not-a-river). Charco Press. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

1. Datta, Sudipta (17 May 2024). ["International Booker-shortlisted novels *Not a River* and *Crooked Plow* are a celebration of translations, and rooted in hyper-local communities"](https://www.thehindu.com/books/book-reviews-not-a-river-selva-almada-international-booker-prize-crooked-plow-author-itamar-vieira-junior-translations/article68149318.ece). *The Hindu*. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

1. ["IV Premio Bienal de Novela Mario Vargas Llosa: Conoce a los doce finalistas"](https://elcomercio.pe/luces/libros/iv-premio-bienal-de-novela-mario-vargas-llosa-conoce-a-los-doce-finalistas-nndc-noticia/). *[El Comercio](/source/El_Comercio_(Peru))*. 9 April 2021. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210409173656/https://elcomercio.pe/luces/libros/iv-premio-bienal-de-novela-mario-vargas-llosa-conoce-a-los-doce-finalistas-nndc-noticia/) 9 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

1. Feeny, Madeleine (12 April 2024). ["Latin American authors on rise in International Booker prize lists"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/12/latin-american-authors-on-rise-in-international-booker-prize-lists). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

1. ["Prize Years: 2025"](https://dublinliteraryaward.ie/the-library/prize-years/2025/). *Dublin Literary Award*. Retrieved 2025-03-26.

## External links

- [An excerpt from *Not a River* by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott and published by Charco Press](https://granta.com/not-a-river/) (*[Granta](/source/Granta)*)
- [Reading guide: *Not a River* by Selva Almada, translated by Annie McDermott](https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/reading-guide-not-a-river-by-selva-almada) (The Booker Prizes)
- ISBN 978-9877691207 (Random House, Spanish)
- ISBN 978-1913867454 (Charco Press, English)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Not a River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_a_River) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not_a_River?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.