During Boxing Day of 2004, people all over the world were shocked to hear about the tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean, destroying whole villages, killing over 155, 000 people and injuring thousands of others while leaving them homeless. An earthquake registering 9.0 on the Richter scale, one of the largest in history, was the cause of the tsunami.
Many countries and especially islands around the Indian Ocean were affected - India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Somalia, Sri Lanka and many others. Even countries as far as Australia and Madagascar felt some of the effects, experiencing flooding, the sinking or grounding of boats, and destruction of property. However, since many people were vacationing here over the Christmas holidays, the pain was felt worldwide with casualties from nations throughout the globe. This caused a tremendous outpouring of humanitarian support from individuals, organizations and even school children. I remember our school collecting donations and organizing a clothing drive upon returning to school after Christmas break.
This is the subject of Eric Walters new book, Wave, a book written for young readers but one I thoroughly enjoyed. It follows a family of four who vacations in Thailand in the Phuket area every Christmas. This year the family goes without their daughter who is in university and has an important swim meet after Christmas. They are nervous about leaving her alone for the holidays but as it turns out, Beth is the one who must fly to Thailand after she hears the devastating news on TV.
Written from two points of view, the son, Sam, in the first half who is with his parents in Thailand and the daughter, Beth, who flies to Thailand to find her family, the story is thoroughly engaging, despite knowing the outcome ahead of time...that a deadly tsunami will soon be on its way.
I found myself hoping that this family would survive and be reunited with their daughter. I do love happy endings. I read the book with apprehension from the outset, knowing that this might not be the case since so many people lost their lives. But, as in any disaster such as 9-11 for example, there were also many heroes, people who risked their lives to save others. Sam and his father do just that during the first wave of the tsunami. They save a mother and her baby who are eventually reunited with her husband. Unbeknownst to them, a second wave is on its way. Now the question is, can they save themselves?
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