On Fragile Waves

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

This thread is to discuss On Fragile Waves by E. Lily Yu.

Pages: 273 pages

Length: 1 month (April)

Participants: SarahKat, Beth

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Here are some questions to help get the conversation started! Feel free to look up discussion questions specific to this book or come up with your own. Just make sure any questions that contain spoilers are under spoiler tags.
Discussion questions are not required but may be a fun way to talk about the book and get to know each other!

Prior to starting:
What prompted you to join this buddy read?
Have you read this author before? What do you think of their other books?

Mid-read:
What character or ideas do you relate to the most and why?
Do you have any favorite quotes or scenes?

After reading:
What was enjoyable or not-so-enjoyable about this book?
Did this book change your perception about anything, either within the book (character development) or in real life?

[Beth]

Starting today. I decided to read this because the story sounds incredibly interesting. I'm not great with fantasy and magical realism, so this is a good chance to expand my reading horizons. This is my first book by this author.

[Beth]

Finished Part One. (view spoiler)[Wow, is this book opening my eyes to the immigration issues in Australia and the plight of refugees. Of course, it's easy to understand the incredible difficulties refugees face, but telling that story through a human (albeit fictional) lens makes it that much more relatable and poignant. I'd never heard of the Pacific Solution until now, and reading about it online makes me realize the US isn't the only country that can be a real bastard about helping people who need it. I'm so invested in Firuzeh and her family! I'm thrilled they're going to Melbourne, although I fear they will go through a lot more heartache as immigrants. (hide spoiler)]

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

I'll start this one after I finish Euphoria.

[Beth]

Finished. (view spoiler)[This may be the most depressing book I've ever read. Firuzeh's story is so sad... just one thing after the other. And all laid at the feet of a 10-year-old girl. I utterly cannot imagine. I'm not saying it was good or bad; just incredibly sad. The writing was gorgeous, although I do think the second part dragged a bit. The story is a vital one to tell, and I do appreciate the research and care that Yu put into this book. I know I'll be thinking about it for a while.

The biggest question I have relates to the tags... I definitely missed the fantasy, magical realism, and science fiction aspects! I just interpreted that Firuzeh had an active imagination/dream life. But no? The drowned girl really did appear to her? (hide spoiler)]

I had never heard of Nauru, but I now know it's the third smallest country in the world after Vatican City and Monaco. So go me!

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Yay for learning!

My great grandfather died in Nauru on a cruise ship, so I knew it existed but I know nothing about it other than it's a tiny island nation.

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

I'll start this tonight

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

I've just finished Part 1! (view spoiler)[I am a little glad the US isn't the only country who are jerks about this and that this particular story is set somewhere else. I'm so tired of hearing about all the ways our country sucks right now.

That being said, this is a heartbreaking story. The death of Nasima on the boat and then their long and horrible wait in Nauru, after their mother was (probably?) abused at the hands of the guards. Khalil eating glass to commit suicide made me feel ill. I wonder if we'll find out if he makes it or not. But damn. That was rough.

Like you, I'm not super optimistic about their lives in Australia but at least they are moving forward! (hide spoiler)]

[Beth]

Absolutely heartbreaking.

I felt like you did... oh, the US isn't the only country that jerks people around. And to be honest, I thought Australia had a better track history overall. But apparently not!

[SarahKat, Buddy Reads]

Finished! I agree completely. (view spoiler)[It's hard to say it was "enjoyable" because it was just so depressing. Possibly why it took me so long to finish. I may have missed things, but did we get to see Nasima's family and her brothers again? I wondered if they all caught up with each other. And did Khalil survive? What happened to him I wonder?

I loved Firuzeh and Nour's brother-sister relationship and how she found him at the end.

As for the tags, I do think Nasima actually appeared to her and possibly had an affect on things. She knew a lot and *maybe* caused some things? She for sure sort of told Firuzeh where Nour was at the end. Fantasy and Sci-fi is taking it a little far though. I think magical realism is even a bit of a stretch. (hide spoiler)]