Wave

Deraniyaglia's first book is a brutally honest story of a massive loss and a slow recovery. The author was on a family Christmas vacation when the tsunami struck Sri Lanka in December, 2004. Her small family attempted to escape in a jeep but as the waves overtook it, it was turned over. After a harrowing experience in the water, she discovered that her husband, parents and two young sons were all dead, leaving her the only survivor. Deraniyaglia pulls no punches describing her devastation, her intense grief, and her yearnings for suicide. Years passed before she could return to her London home. Although this is a painful, personal story, she also is able to recall the many happy moments that made up her marriage and family life. Hannah Curtis's British accent is a perfect fit for the first-person narrative.