Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

5 reviews

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.

flyfarther79's review

dark emotional sad slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

banusha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I gave it 5 stars. Not because it was so well written nor because it was the best read. But because it was so honest, so personal and so vulnerable. Deraniyagala writes that she isn't a telling person, that she usually avoids talking about what happened. Yet she writes so vividly about her grief in this book. She includes the various nuances and doesn't shy away from the complexity of grief. I didn't get the feel that she fully understood every aspect of the grief while she went through it, and that was somehow refreshing to read about. She didn't try to explain it all the time. She described it as she experienced it. She explored her memories, her feelings and her actions. She was flawed in the way she handled it, and she didn't hide it. 

I didn't cry while reading this book. I expected to, but I didn't. I don't what that entails. Or if it even matters. But I feel it important to mention. I didn't cry. 

I have a hard time trying to conclude this book. I've decided that I'm not going to. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

onegirlandtheworld's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

This book will stay with me for a long time. It was not what I expected but it was a great read. The fractured writing style really captured the fracture and fragility of Deraniyagala's experience and coming to terms with her losses and new life. You really feel like you've been on the journey with her. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Death

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt