Wave (Deraniyagala book)
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''Wave: Life and Memories after the Tsunami'' is a
memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...
by the
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
n educator
Sonali Deraniyagala Sonali Deraniyagala (born 1964) is a Sri Lankan memoirist and economist. She currently serves as a lecturer in Economics at the SOAS South Asia Institute. She considers Joan Didion and Michael Ondaatje her favourite literary heroes. Personal lif ...
about the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
. It was first published in 2013 by
Alfred A. Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
. The book recounts the story of Deraniyagala's life before the tsunami struck the coast, and how it changed dramatically after the disaster, primarily focusing on life without her five most important family members, including her parents, her husband, and her two sons. It is written in the
first-person narrative A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-teller, ...
style and opens on December 26, 2004. The book received several awards and positive reviews from critics.


Storyline

The book starts with Deraniyagala at a beach-side hotel on the Sri Lankan coast with her family. She gives the first hint at the impending disaster in the second line of the book, "The ocean looked a little closer to our hotel than usual". Deraniyagala describes how, within minutes, things changed before her eyes, and her family was lost when they were washed away somewhere "far away". She frequently writes frankly about her loss throughout the book. Deraniyagala is nostalgic of days before the tidal wave. She yearns for those days to be back, but fate does not allow it. Critics have called it a book with a lot of grief. A number of years after the disaster, Deraniyagala lives in her husband's flat in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and she is suicidal. She writes that "an army of family and friends" watched over her, day and night. She wishes to forget her haunted memories of the day, but is unable to do so.


Reception

The book received positive reviews from critics. In a new for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
,''
Cheryl Strayed Cheryl Strayed (; née Nyland; born September 17, 1968) is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel ''Torch'' (2006) and the nonfiction books '' Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail'' (2012), ''Tin ...
, wrote "I didn't feel as if I was going to cry while reading ''Wave.'' I felt as if my heart might stop." ''
Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...
'' described the book as "poignant, yet spare and unsentimental". Marcia Kaye, an author and journalist, in her review for the ''Colombo Telegraph'' wrote,
"Wave is somehow both jaggedly raw and beautifully crafted at the same time. Above all, it speaks to the power of the human spirit to survive, to love, to remember. It reminds us that these often mundane lives of ours and our families' must be cherished, because we never know when an extraordinary event may come along to change it all."
''The New York Times'' rated it as one of the top ten best books of 2013. It was an "Amazon Best Book of the Month (March 2013)". Donna Seaman from ''
Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
'' called the story "indelible and unique". ''
The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles in electronic format as well as a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper ...
'' ranked it number 14 i "15 best nonfiction books of 2013". Therese Purcell Nielsen and Erin Shea of ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' rated it one of 11 best memoirs of 2013. ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' called it one of the "Best Books of 2013 for Vicarious Experiences You'll Never Forget", one of the lists of "Best Books of 2013 (Nonfiction)".


References

{{reflist, colwidth=30em 2013 non-fiction books 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami 2013 in the environment Novels set in Sri Lanka Memoirs Works about earthquakes Works about tsunamis