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On Fragile Waves
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
24 posts | 8 read | 16 to read
The exquisite and unusual magic realist debut novel by an award winning speculative fiction author. A heartbreaking and haunting story about a familys quest for a new home in an unwelcoming world, told in prose thats both beautifully economical and intensely lyrical.
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Texreader
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

An Afghan family escape Kabul, through Pakistan, then on an overloaded boat to #Nauru, the holding island for refugees to #Australia. Told from a preteen girl, she experiences such hardship often unknowing how much worse it could be. So many thing were special about this book: 1) the plight of refugees everywhere, 2) told from the perspective of a child, 3) revealing Australia faces a refugee crisis like the rest of the world and handling it ⬇️

Texreader poorly like the rest of the world. This is an extremely difficult book to read—the family is pummeled with everything that can go wrong. When you just want them to survive. And I learned how Nauru was once one of the richest countries per capita in the world until it was stripped of its natural resources, only to become a “holding pen” for the “undesirable” immigrants. Fortunately it‘s a short read. But an important one. #readingOceania 2mo
BarbaraBB I just read another review about this book. Sounds like a must read 2mo
Librarybelle All the reviews for this one are so good…the story sounds so difficult to read but a necessary read. 2mo
squirrelbrain This was so good,but very tough. 2mo
Bookwormjillk I was so glad I read this book. I never would have found it if not for this challenge. 2mo
67 likes5 comments
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Bookwormjillk
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

Wow, this book was a punch in the gut. I can‘t believe more people aren‘t talking about this book about refugees in #Australia and #Nauru

#ReadingOceania2024 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Librarybelle I really need to read this one 2mo
65 likes1 comment
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Texreader
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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The dedication for the tagged book. An ominous start. #Nauru #ReadingOceania2024 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Librarybelle Ominous indeed 2mo
squirrelbrain It‘s a very sad book. 2mo
51 likes2 comments
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Texreader
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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54 likes1 stack add
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squirrelbrain
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

This was a heart-wrenching novel about Firuzeh and her family who leave Afghanistan with the ‘help‘ of people-traffickers, hoping to reach a better life in Australia.

I read this for #readingoceania24 #nauru as the family spend some time in a Detention Centre on the island whilst they are processed by the Australian government. Whilst only about a 1/4 of the book, this was by far the most impactful part. 😞

Librarybelle This does sound heart wrenching! 2mo
BarbaraBB A heavy read I think 2mo
LeeRHarry Is this book going to make me angry? Probably. Sounds like a good one though. 2mo
squirrelbrain Yes, pretty much @LeeRHarry - there‘s a few Australian characters portrayed in a negative light, whether being outwardly racist, uncaring or even well-meaning but useless. It‘s also billed as magical realism, but it‘s not. (One of the characters talks to a ghost.) It‘ll make you angry, but sad too. 2mo
Centique Wow this sounds very good. I have already stacked it but must get to it soon. 2mo
71 likes5 comments
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Soubhiville
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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My March wrap up.

I had three bails as well (that‘s a lot for me):
China Dolls and On Gold Mountain by Lisa See and The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.

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Soubhiville
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

Don‘t you just love weekends?

E Lily Yu brought me right in with this story of escaping war in Afghanistan to immigrate to Australia from the point of view of a young sister and brother. It‘s a journey full of trials and tragedy and brutality.
I felt the frustration of the parents who paid for the entire trip, yet found the family on a rickety boat then in a detention center.

This isn‘t an easy read, but beauty balanced the sadness.

Soubhiville @Kaylamburson thank you for sending this one to me! I really enjoyed it. 💕 2y
Simona Yes, weekends are meant for some serious snuggles 😁 2y
RaeLovesToRead Awww snoodles 😻 2y
Kaylamburson I‘m so glad you read it and enjoyed it! It‘s a hard read, but a beautiful one. @Soubhiville 2y
78 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Soubhiville
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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What a beautiful to read outdoors! I‘m loving my #currentread! Why haven‘t I seen more people talking about this one?

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Soubhiville
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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What a lovely surprise @Kaylamburson ! Thank you for thinking of me 😊. I‘m looking forward to reading this, and I love the kitty bookmark. You‘re so sweet. ❤️

Kaylamburson So glad it arrived safely and was a nice surprise!! Happy Holidays!!! 2y
61 likes1 comment
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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

A lyrical, compassionate novel about hope and despair, following the fortunes of a family bound for Australia in order to escape persecution and death in Afghanistan. While this novel is described as magic realist on the jacket, it wears that element lightly, through a ghost who makes occasional appearances.

37 likes2 stack adds
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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Mrs Sing was born decades after war swept through Hong Kong. Nevertheless, war had left deep handprints across her life. Her grandfather, gasping himself awake. Her father, scarred with secondhand terror, biting and snapping like a beaten dog. And now her classroom was full of children from a different war.
(Internet photo)

29 likes1 stack add
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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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The writer stared out, her head turned away. One thumb worried the notebook in her lap.
“I asked the wrong questions, didn‘t I?”
“If I were you,” Sister Margaret said, “I‘d have asked about joy. When you have nothing and no reason to hope, when the odds are impossible and not one but two governments stand against you, how do you laugh? How do you see beauty? How do you still show kindness and love?”

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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Moonlight washed the gnawed coral pinnacles, frosted the skeletal phosphate cranes, and drenched the canvas tents where a hundred dreamers dreamed gray, grim, and miserable dreams. The sky was salted with stars.

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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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While Muslim identity permeates this story of Hazara refugees from Afghanistan—mullah jokes, women wrapping a scarf over their hair, etc—it remains much in the background. Instead, individual personalities are in the forefront.

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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Thus far they had not needed much medicine, since hope hope had done triple duty as amulet, tonic, and prophylactic.

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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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This book is so sad! I decided I needed to take a break and eat something sweet.

Cathythoughts What a gorgeous sweet treat & the book sounds 💫 2y
Lindy @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yes, it was yummy… and I baked cookies this morning too… now I feel a sugar overload 😜 2y
Lindy @Cathythoughts We made a special trip to a Belgian bakery yesterday. This was a chocolate tart, flavoured with orange. Delicious! 2y
35 likes4 comments
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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Beginnings and endings sank like stones through the mind.

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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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-So why did your family leave Afghanistan?
-They won‘t tell me.
-Won‘t tell you!
-Abay says I don‘t need to know.
-But you do! We need reasons like we need water or air.

32 likes1 stack add
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Lindy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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There‘s a fantasy genre spine label on this library book, but, so far, its story of an Afghan refugee family‘s journey seems realistic. Also, it just sent me down an internet rabbit hole because I hadn‘t previously known about the Mandaean religion.

erzascarletbookgasm I learnt something new today 🙂👍 2y
31 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Laughterhp
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Got my latest recommendations from Book Riot for #getTBR

My bibliologist changed for some reason, but I really like the sound of all these, so it might be for the better. I hope they don‘t disappoint! Had anyone read any of these?

Lauren890 I had the same thing happen - my bibliologist changed last round for no said reason. I still got good recommendations though! 3y
45 likes1 comment
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Kaylamburson
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

I read and reviewed On Fragile Waves about a year ago, but since it just published this past month, I'm sharing again because it was such an amazing book.

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ReadingEnvy
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Mehso-so

Refugees from Afghanistan land in Australia and instead of the welcome they're expecting, they are transported to an island that is a holding camp, most definitely based on the Nauru Processing Centre designated as part of the "Pacific Solution" by the Australian government to limit/prevent asylum seekers from hitting the mainland. ↘️

ReadingEnvy The central family is haunted by the daughter's ghost friend who died on the journey, the sorrows of displacement, and the worries of losing touch with family. In part two of the book, they are placed in a Melbourne suburb and have a few years to prove they are "worth" living there, imagine how many ways that can backfire. Fragile waves indeed. ↘️ 3y
ReadingEnvy Firuzeh and Noir, the two children of the family, navigate the challenges in different ways. The author (not ownvoices, I should say) incorporates elements of poetry and storytelling that enrich the story - after all living in a centre when you are searching for home is itself a surreal experience and stories link us to home. ↘️ 3y
ReadingEnvy By the way, this author wrote one of my favorite short stories of all time - "The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees." 3y
CarolynM I've not heard of this book before. Interesting for an American author to have chosen this subject. Stacked. 3y
57 likes4 comments
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Texreader
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Another book idea for #readingAsia2021 as a family leaves Afghanistan, crossing Asia, to try to find refuge in Australia. Looks like it was just released today. @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB Thanks for sharing these books 🤍 3y
Librarybelle Awesome! 3y
Crazeedi You find the most interesting books 3y
45 likes3 comments
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Kaylamburson
On Fragile Waves | E. Lily Yu
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Pickpick

This book doesn't release until Fall 2020, but I just finished it, and I'm blown away. Literary, lyrical, and heartbreakingly beautiful, ON FRAGILE WAVES tells the story of one Persian family taking all the risks to escape the war and government in Afghanistan with the hope of finding asylum in Australia. This epic journey is full of uncertainty, loss, and pain, but also the beauty of familial bonds and ultimate sacrifice.

Kaylamburson It's interspersed with magical realism elements, and it feels so natural in the prose. It's topical to the immigration debates happening all over the world and will lead to great book club discussions, too. I know this novel will keep me thinking. It has an ethereal final sentence that closes it out perfectly. 4y
61 likes1 comment