Wave Audiobook By Sonali Deraniyagala cover art

Wave

A Memoir

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Wave

By: Sonali Deraniyagala
Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
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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.

©2013 Sonali Deraniyagala (P)2013 Random House Audio Environment Memoir Essentials Natural Disasters Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Women Memoir Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

"Out of unimaginable loss comes an unimaginably powerful book. Wave is unflinching as it charts the depths of grief, but it's also, miraculously, a beautifully detailed meditation on the essence of happiness. I came away from this stunning book with a new appreciation of life’s daily gifts. I urge you to read Wave. You will not be the same person after you've finished." (Will Schwalbe)
" Wave is a haunting chronicle of love and horrifying loss. The heartfelt writing manages to render the absence of the loved ones - the void, and the pain of it - in such a beautiful way that what was lost emerges as a new life form, one whose flesh and sinew are memory, sorrow, and undying love." (Abraham Verghese)

Featured Article: The top 100 memoirs of all time


All genres considered, the memoir is among the most difficult and complex for a writer to pull off. After all, giving voice to your own lived experience and recounting deeply painful or uncomfortable memories in a way that still engages and entertains is a remarkable feat. These autobiographies, often narrated by the authors themselves, shine with raw, unfiltered emotion sure to resonate with any listener. But don't just take our word for it—queue up any one of these listens, and you'll hear exactly what we mean.

Featured Article The top 100 memoirs of all time
Beautifully Written Memoir • Emotionally Powerful Narrative • Authentic Grief Portrayal • Vivid Descriptions
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How do you tell a story like this without overwhelming your reader. Ms. Deraniyagala uses a delicate balance of uninhibited honesty and an innate wisdom of just how much to tell. She does not hide from the unfairness in the world, even when the unfairness come from her own actions. This was a beautifully authentic book to read.

A delicate balance.

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What was one of the most memorable moments of Wave?

Although we all know it logically, Wave reminds us of how quickly life can change.

Unremitting grief.

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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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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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I would highly recommend this book.The story is expertly and poignantly narrated. What a courageous woman!

Beautifully written heartrending tale

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Thank you to the author for sharing her story. I pray she is as well as she can be. I listened twice. My heart fell out of my chest so many times.

I lost my only child & found this book helpful

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What did you love best about Wave?

Simple, declarative prose. The lector had a lovely, warm, wonderful voice, perfect for the task.

Any additional comments?

Difficult, painful account of recovering from the loss of closest family, children, parents, spouse. The experience of coming to terms with the places and ephemera associated with their lives. To flinch and turn away? And thereby continue a clenched life? or find a way to coexist and maybe tentatively embrace the visual and audible and gustatory reminders?
A very brave account.

Not easy to tear myself away.

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"healing in progress". She expresses her loss so intimately that the reader not only grieves with her, but also heals with her.

A memoir of great emotional depth

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