A testimony of loss and undying love – Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

Published on: March 5 2013

By: McClelland & Stewart

Number of pages: 245

Reading attempt: 1
Reading time : 6 days

Rating: «««

Advice: This is not “The Impossible”

Available in French as: yet to be published

The context

Just like “The Dinner”, the idea to read this memoir came to me through an email advertisement coming from a certain English bookstore...okay it came from Chapters & Indigo bookstore.  There I said it.  Although it will come as no surprise to you that I receive daily advertisement s from this bookstore as well from Kobo eBook store and amazon.ca and amazon.com.

Needless to say that yours truly is guaranteed not to run out of book review subjects or inspiration for a long time J

The story

Just like the above advice states, this memoir is nothing like the story plot of the movie “The Impossible”.  As a matter of fact, they only have the same starting point: the 2004 east-Asian tsunami.

On the morning of December 26 2004, the author, her husband, her children and her parents are the witness of the approaching wave.  As they flee for their lives, water engulfs them and they are separated.  She will never see any of them alive again as she is the sole survivor.

The review

As I’m just finishing this book, I have to admit that it is not what I thought it was going to be at first... and yet I am not disappointed.  Unlike the happy-ending “The Impossible”, Sonali Deraniyagala’s heartbreaking memoir is a poignant account of the darkest aspect of this natural disaster.

It is a haunting chronicle of loss as the author becomes parent less, childless and husband less in an instant.  I was always on the brink of tears as I explored, through her words, the depths of her grief at having lost everyone she hold dear and every person that help define her as an individual, and also the depths of her guilt at having survived against all odds while they didn't.  The extent of her pain is quite tangible and you can’t help yourself but feel it deep within.

This memoir is also a touching tribute to the happiness those she lost brought her along the years she lived among them.  It is a testimony of her undying love for her family as she reminisces the defining moments of her life that are associated to either her husband, her boys or her parents.  She opens up about her family life, her love life in all its details and simplicity and shows us what it means when we say that happiness lies in the little things and that we should cherish life’s daily gifts.

Sonali Deraniyagala’s strength here lies in the description she renders so that we may understand the importance each of their lives had for her and never forget them or the impact these lives and their loss had on her own life.  A heartfelt chronicle written by a courageous woman who, event seven years after the event, keeps the memories of her loved ones alive and will continue to do so.

As always, keep reading all of you bookworms and book lovers out there.  As for myself, I will try and make my mind up on my next great read: Erica Bauermeister or Gillian Flynn, what will it be?  Stay tuned to find out...

Until next time

Ladybug