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A review by shreyabaldwa
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
emotional
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Sonali Deraniyagala's 'Wave' is a book about loss and also about family, it's about sorrow and also walking with it all through the life. On the outside, it's a small book, but on the inside the memoir is a tale of grief and love.
The book is about Sonali's husband, her parents, and her two sons, all of whom died in a single morning in December, 2004, when the tsunami hit the resort where they were holidaying in Sri Lanka. It's about the tragedy on that day and her long journey since. She talks of her life after the death of her family members, while also sharing anecdotes from the life that she shared with them.
For most of us, a loss on this scale is unimaginable. Yet, Sonali manages to live through it and also has the ability to share her trauma with the world. There are times when the book makes you emotional and your heart reaches out to Sonali (especially when Sonali finds her husband research paper, her son's tshirt months after the tragedy).
Unlike in films, moving on is easier said than done in reality. In real life, the pain does not fade away, but always resurfaces in things, talks and memories that were earlier mundane, but are now the trigger to the times bygone. While the tragedy that occurred with Sonali is huge, it's the way that she expresses herself that makes a mark in the reader's mind. At the end of the book, all you want to do is give a virtual hug to Sonali and hope that things turn out well for her.
The book is about Sonali's husband, her parents, and her two sons, all of whom died in a single morning in December, 2004, when the tsunami hit the resort where they were holidaying in Sri Lanka. It's about the tragedy on that day and her long journey since. She talks of her life after the death of her family members, while also sharing anecdotes from the life that she shared with them.
For most of us, a loss on this scale is unimaginable. Yet, Sonali manages to live through it and also has the ability to share her trauma with the world. There are times when the book makes you emotional and your heart reaches out to Sonali (especially when Sonali finds her husband research paper, her son's tshirt months after the tragedy).
Unlike in films, moving on is easier said than done in reality. In real life, the pain does not fade away, but always resurfaces in things, talks and memories that were earlier mundane, but are now the trigger to the times bygone. While the tragedy that occurred with Sonali is huge, it's the way that she expresses herself that makes a mark in the reader's mind. At the end of the book, all you want to do is give a virtual hug to Sonali and hope that things turn out well for her.