I recently read two different memoirs that had an enormous amount in common: they are both beautiful, tragic stories of grief, trauma and resilience–and both feature the tragic power of the South Asian oceans.
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala explores, in detail, how the author bore an almost unbearable loss. Her husband, children, and parents were all killed by a tsunami that she somehow survived, and the story is an unflinching look at her journey through that grief. It's heartbreaking, but also a testimony to the author's singular ability to open her broken heart up for others to find comfort.
Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes is another almost unbelievable, but true, story. The book, like the author's life, starts out kinda like Crazy Rich Asians, then spirals into poverty, mental illness, and insurrection. The author made her way through to the other side of this childhood, and her willingness to share her origin story in mystical prose gives us a stunningly relatable story.
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