Sonali Deraniyagala

Sonali Deraniyagala is the narrator and author of the memoir Wave. She is the widow of Steve, and mother of Vikram and Malli.

In the book, which is a memoir relating Deraniyagala’s experiences on the day the tsunami hit and the years that followed, Deraniyagala describes how her world fell apart when she learned her entire family as well as her parents were killed in the wave.

Deraniyagala also writes about her slow road to find her new place in the world without her family. The book describes her fight with depression and grief as she tries to come to terms with her new life.

Mette

Mette is the Jeep driver who always drove Deraniyagala and her family on their safaris in Yala. He sat with Deraniyagala in the waiting room of the hospital without asking her questions.

When Deraniyagala asked, Mette agreed to drive her...