A review by malex
On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu

dark sad medium-paced

4.0

Thanks to Erewhon and Netgalley for sending me this ARC against an honest review. 

The writing in this book took some getting used to, at first it felt very dry and I was a bit thrown off by the unidentified dialogues (there are no quotation marks) and the brutal time jumps. The more I dived in though the more it felt true to the story as told by a child whose sometimes only getting understanding of what's happening.

We follow a family fleeing war in Afghanistan, trying to make it to Australia, narrated through the eyes of the young daughter Firuzeh. It is a work of fiction but it resonates really hard with the situation of a lot of refugees, making this a particularly heartbreaking read. After the sheer terror of the boat ride and the hopelessness of the detention camp, Australia seems like a promised land but the story doesn't shy away from the racism and discrimination that so often prevents refugees to build a new home where they feel accepted and safe.

A side note: this seems to be marketed as magical realism but it did not feel quite like it, the only "magical" elements in here could just be filed under "Firuzeh has an imaginary friend" for me.

Overall I really appreciated On Fragile Waves, it's a short read packing a roller-coaster of emotions and a bittersweet ending.