Wave – A Memoir of Life after the Tsunami by Sonali Deraniyagala

 “But scrawled across the twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth, and twenty-sixth was the last word he wrote in that diary for 2004. Yala.”

The heartbreaking memoir of Sonali Deraniyagala transports you from a few seconds of calm to indefinite chaos in a second. 17 years back on December 26th, over 200,000 people reportedly died due to the monstrous Tsunami. The number of lives lost, the mental and physical consequences it had left behind are beyond human understanding. Individuals and families who never recovered from that fateful and devastating event are countless. During one moment of her life between London and Colombo, Sonali lost her family, to the same.

Wave is a heart-racing and painful telling of how she went through the unimaginable loss of her parents, husband and two sons. It not only speaks of terrible loss, but of strength, resilience and absolute perseverance.

She was convinced that she needed to die. How she survived is unthinkable.  

 “My boys. I don’t have them to hold. What do I do with my arms? Soon, very soon, I have to kill myself.”

She was a woman who lived a ‘dream’. This powerful narration tells you how her dream got washed away in a heartbeat. It reminds you to cherish your blessings, no matter how they look like now. She relates the past experiences of her time with family and friends fondly and heartbreakingly. Her emotions and reactions are presented in such heart-wrenching detail, you could feel your heart tighten with every word. For a moment, I suffocated.

While the book is wrapped in misery, it also speaks about the endurance of love. The world needed her, her remaining family and friends needed her and they supported her every step of the way. Thus, the remarkable bond of humanity becomes another touching aspect of this novel.

A heartbreakingly brilliant representation of coming to terms with death and destruction which you’d never wish were true.

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