Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

25 reviews

theaceofpages's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

When I saw this book I mistakenly thought that it would be more about the actual tsunami. Instead, this is a book about recovering from the loss of loved ones, especially children. It was definitely not badly written by any means, but this is not usually the kind of book I turn to. I don't regret reading it, but I also don't have any kind of desire to seek out more of the same.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief

ginafugate's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was incredibly sad & heartbreaking, which I expected since I knew before what it was about.  It’s a true story but I’m still unsure if the movie The Impossible is based on this family’s story or another one.  Either way, this book was interesting since it told the story of the actual tsunami as well as what life was like for the author in the years following.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Self harm, Child death, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Author is sole survivor in her family

melodyseestrees's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

It is difficult to rate such a personal book. Any criticism one could hope to give could very easily be likened to a personal attack by way of tone policing. Readers who already struggle with nonfiction and who do not hold a similar vein of personal loss will likely have trouble sympathizing with the author on the deeply personal tragedy. There are multiple moments where the author takes the reader back in time with memories of their lost family and many are well done. Some distracted from what the author was going through in that present moment- which is likely realistic as the memories were written about as the author distracting herself from her loss.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Blood, and Car accident

Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Alcohol, Self harm, Death of parent, Suicide, and Alcoholism

Minor: Stalking and Fatphobia

There is a moment where the author is very fat phobic towards a child survivor, it is understandable that a lot was happening and the author was truthfully reporting her thoughts and feelings but it was not nice to read.

You only survived because you are fat. That's why you didn't die. You stayed alive in that water because you are so fucking fat.

graceehobbss's review

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

theinkwyrm's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

3.0

I’m giving it 3 stars because it was well-written, but if it was based on my enjoyment, it would be a 2 star rating. I went into this expecting to read about what it’s like to encounter a tsunami, which I did, but that was over and done with in the first 10 minutes of the book. This is really a book about one woman’s journey through losing her family and the grief process that never really ends for her. It’s really more so a meditation on the family she had and all her memories of them and all the memories she’s trying not to acknowledge.  It was overall just a deeply unpleasant read and the only reason I finished it is because it’s only a 5-hour audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death

vanesst's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Suicidal thoughts

swee_p's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Grief

Moderate: Mental illness

millbot's review

dark emotional reflective sad

4.5

An immense, powerful, and raw meditation on how one person moves thru unfathomable loss and grief. Unflinching in her honesty about the darkness and ugliness of her journey, Sonali ultimately also gifts the reader with hard-earned insight and hope. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Death

alisonfaith426's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Grief, and Medical content

buffy87's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

3.75

Writing: I don't know how she wrote this without breaking apart forever. It is written with recollection of memories and trying to explain to us what happened. The quality of writing was strong and descriptive. Words in Sinhala are italicized and sometimes translated.

Content: Covers the destruction of the authors life after being the sole survivor from her family during the 2004 Tsunami, and the journey of healing/acceptance for the next 7 years. 

Thoughts: at times I definitely felt it was inappropriate of me to be in Sonalis mind and pain like I was, but she put this out to be read and therefore I will read it. The pain was so visceral in the middle of the book. I said before it felt voyeuristic, like I was pulling the curtains open on someone's trauma. Bring invited in and knowing full well how personal it is. I appreciate that. I especially was intrigued by the rage and anger she felt immediately, the way our minds protect us during a tragedy and the resulting shame she felt after. I cannot fathom the fear and suddenness. It was hard to read, I found myself disassociating while reading and my mind floating - not due to the writing but it was just difficult to stay immersed in that tragic world. This is not just some story this is someone's life... because of that, you have to be in the right 'mood' to read this. It is extremely heartbreaking and will drain you: so warning to my HSP and empaths.

Recc: anyone interested in memoirs, the 2004 Tsunami, loss of family, PTSD

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Death of parent