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Wave

A Memoir

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Wave

By: Sonali Deraniyagala
Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
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One of The New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of the Year

On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. In this brave and searingly frank memoir, she describes those first horrifying moments and her long journey since. She has written an engrossing, unsentimental, beautifully poised account: as she struggles through the first months following the tragedy, furiously clenched against a reality that she cannot face and cannot deny; and then, over the ensuing years, as she emerges reluctantly, slowly allowing her memory to take her back through the rich and joyous life she’s mourning, from her family’s home in London, to the birth of her children, to the year she met her English husband at Cambridge, to her childhood in Colombo; all the while learning the difficult balance between the almost unbearable reminders of her loss and the need to keep her family, somehow, still alive within her.

Accolades & Awards

Memoir Essentials
Memoir Essentials Natural Disaster Biographies & Memoirs Emotionally Gripping Women Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Memoir Nature & Ecology Environment Outdoors & Nature Science

Featured Article: Comforting Audiobooks About Grief and Loss That Actually Help


When it comes to the death of a loved one, there is no easy path forward. Grieving can place significant mental strain on those who are mourning. And because everyone grieves a little differently, it can be hard to know where to turn for help, or what to say to someone who is in the throes of grief. Audiobooks on grief can offer insight to those looking for ways to support the mourning, or a bit of comfort for anyone struggling with loss themselves.

Featured Article Comforting Audiobooks About Grief and Loss That Actually Help
Raw Emotional Honesty • Beautifully Written Memoir • Perfect Narration • Compelling Personal Account • Lovely Voice

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Beautifully written and moving story of a loss of a family, the darkness that follows, and the deep resilience of the human spirit to manage through. This book makes it on the list of the top 10 best books I've ever read. Dr. Sonali was one of my lecturers at SOAS and she inspired me then and continues to inspire me now. I couldn't stop crying in the end!

Exquisite story of loss and acceptance

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I liked hearing about London and Sri Lanka and the life they lived going back-and-forth between the continents. Probably because it’s so different from mine. I’d always question myself as to why I was the one who survived this tragedy and everybody else lost their life. I hope she has healed. I know that writing does that for you.

Survived

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it was disarmingly honest especially her relationship with alcohol and her stalking the people who moved into her house. I work as a grief counsellor and it was good to have seven years after a death spoken about.

review

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I listened to this book with apprehension as a mother, wife and human being. This is a beautifully written portrayal of family and grief . I will never forget the gift of this book.

Heart wrenching yet so authentic

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Her capture of grief is raw and told in such a way that you cannot put this book down!

Beautifully written

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