Every new book from Elizabeth Gilbert—author of the mega-bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love—is a pop cultural phenomenon, and her 2025 memoir All the Way to the River has certainly made an impact. In it, Gilbert describes the diagnosis of her best friend Raya with terminal cancer, and their subsequent decision to upend both their lives to be together for Raya's final days. But Raya, a recovering addict, soon relapses, Gilbert wrestles with their increasingly codependent relationship, and ultimately they must turn to Raya's ex for assistance. All the Wat to the River was released to wall-to-wall coverage and mixed reviews. "Excruciating," declared The Guardian; so did The New York Times. It's a "train wreck" of a memoir, agreed the Financial Times—but that's what makes it compelling: "All the Way to the River is irresistible for its sense of impending, unstoppable disaster — you can see the collision coming a mile away, but the author can’t hear you yelling at her to get off the tracks."
