Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
sad
slow-paced
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
On December 26 2004, Sonali Deraniyagala's family was on holiday on the southern coast of Sri Lanka when a Tsunami hit. Sonali's parents, husband and two young sons were killed, leaving her reeling in the aftermath of the tragedy.
I found this book incredibly difficult to push myself through - emotionally. This was a memoir that shook me to my very core and I found myself in tears for the majority of this book. Nobody can possibly understand the sudden loss of losing so many loved ones until they themselves are placed in such a scenario and I could hardly comprehend what Sonali had been through.
The memoir recounts Sonali's immediate experience of the disaster, progressing to seven years after the disaster - covering the jarring grief and pain she felt while coming to terms with her new life. Interweaved with the history of her family, her life in London, her university experience with her husband, the births of her two sons and her childhood in Colombo, this book reflects on a bittersweet past and reaches achingly for a future that can't be. The resulting memoir is both riveting in its descriptions and painful in its authenticity.
The rawness with which Sonali described her immediate thoughts and actions after the disaster, the following months of her life struggling with alcoholism and suicidal thoughts and the darkness of her grief were rendered ever more potent when contrasted to the sweetness and privilege of her life in London and Colombo - from her childhood family holidays, to her son's fascination with birds, her time at Cambridge and her dawn escapades to the London markets with her husband.
I was mildly confused by the number of negative reviews on this book, with many readers considering Sonali self-absorbed, callous and arrogant in her account, particularly in her initial reaction the disaster. An opinion that I share in no way. If anything this rawness is what I appreciated about this book. Sonali does not attempt to lie in anyway about the truth of her emotions - often highlighting her most selfish thoughts. When facing such pain and grief, I can imagine how the last thing on your mind would be the experiences of strangers. Its all well and good to believe that you, yourself wouldn't be so self-centered when placed in this position, but I call bullshit on that. If anything, I also believe that being self-centered in this scenario is not a bad thing - and certainly no justification for a bad review.
I really enjoyed this book. 5 stars.
I found this book incredibly difficult to push myself through - emotionally. This was a memoir that shook me to my very core and I found myself in tears for the majority of this book. Nobody can possibly understand the sudden loss of losing so many loved ones until they themselves are placed in such a scenario and I could hardly comprehend what Sonali had been through.
The memoir recounts Sonali's immediate experience of the disaster, progressing to seven years after the disaster - covering the jarring grief and pain she felt while coming to terms with her new life. Interweaved with the history of her family, her life in London, her university experience with her husband, the births of her two sons and her childhood in Colombo, this book reflects on a bittersweet past and reaches achingly for a future that can't be. The resulting memoir is both riveting in its descriptions and painful in its authenticity.
The rawness with which Sonali described her immediate thoughts and actions after the disaster, the following months of her life struggling with alcoholism and suicidal thoughts and the darkness of her grief were rendered ever more potent when contrasted to the sweetness and privilege of her life in London and Colombo - from her childhood family holidays, to her son's fascination with birds, her time at Cambridge and her dawn escapades to the London markets with her husband.
I was mildly confused by the number of negative reviews on this book, with many readers considering Sonali self-absorbed, callous and arrogant in her account, particularly in her initial reaction the disaster. An opinion that I share in no way. If anything this rawness is what I appreciated about this book. Sonali does not attempt to lie in anyway about the truth of her emotions - often highlighting her most selfish thoughts. When facing such pain and grief, I can imagine how the last thing on your mind would be the experiences of strangers. Its all well and good to believe that you, yourself wouldn't be so self-centered when placed in this position, but I call bullshit on that. If anything, I also believe that being self-centered in this scenario is not a bad thing - and certainly no justification for a bad review.
I really enjoyed this book. 5 stars.
As other readers have pointed out, the author of this book comes across as pretty selfish and entitled at times and it's sometimes hard to figure out what she's getting to and that sometimes makes for a jarring reading experience. That being said, I think it might just be the way se expresses herself more than her actually being those things. I have no idea how I would react to such a large amount of tragedy and it's her story so it's not my place to say what's the right or wrong way to tell it so I'm not going to rate this one.
Simply put: devastating. It's also a powerfully moving memoir about how someone recovers and survives a deeply traumatic loss. A loving memory of her self and the family she lost during the tsunami in Sri Lanka over a decade ago.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I don't remember where or when this book came on my radar, but I am so glad it did. How do you go on in the face of unbelievable tragedy? How do you move forward? How do you not give up when everything inside you is telling you that is just what you should do...
Sonali Deraniyagala shares her painful journey in the most beautiful and eloquent way. She shares the ugliness, the wrenching despair, and the journey back to her new solo land of the living.
I highly recommend
Sonali Deraniyagala shares her painful journey in the most beautiful and eloquent way. She shares the ugliness, the wrenching despair, and the journey back to her new solo land of the living.
I highly recommend
I don't know why I do this to myself.
I still think of her every time I hear the Smiths.
I still think of her every time I hear the Smiths.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced