What an amazing story! This is not a book I would typically read but for some reason the story intrigued me. I was definitely not disappointed and I could put the book down. I am so glad I got out of my comfort zone and decided to read this book.

On Fragile Waves by E Lily Yu is a novel about Afghani refugees making their way to Australia, with overtones of magical realism. It follows a family as they journey in a dangerous boat and spend time on Nauru, in one of Australia’s off-shore detention centres.

Firuzeh and her brother Nour are children of fire, born in an Afghanistan fractured by war. When their parents, their Atay and Abay, decide to leave, they spin fairy tales of their destination, the mythical land and opportunities of Australia.

As the family journeys from Pakistan to Indonesia to Nauru, heading toward a hope of home, they must rely on fragile and temporary shelters, strangers both mercenary and kind, and friends who vanish as quickly as they’re found.

When they arrive in Australia, what seemed like a stable shore gives way to treacherous currents. Neighbors, classmates, and the government seek their own ends, indifferent to the family’s fate. For Firuzeh, her fantasy worlds provide some relief, but as her family and home splinter, she must surface from these imaginings and find a new way.

My one hesitation when deciding to read this book was that the author was American. But On Fragile Waves reads as impeccably researched. It follows a family, from the point of the daughter aged around 10, as a lot of terrible things happen to them during their journey and after.

If you know anything about Australia’s offshore detention system, you’ll expect this to be a pretty bleak book, and it is. Moments of darkness are interspersed with Firuzeh telling stories to herself and to her younger brother. Those stories and Firuzeh’s memories of a friend she made on the way provide the fantastical element that put this book on my radar (that and the author). But mostly the book is set in the real world, and the harsh reality of being a refugee doesn’t end just because they reach Australia.

This was a moving read and I recommend it to anyone that isn’t explicitly looking for a light and fluffy read. It’s a book that deals with racism and trauma and even though it’s not long, I didn’t find it to be a quick read.

4 / 5 stars

I think this book is challenging on many levels--child narrator, heavy themes, and disjointed storytelling. Going into the story I was expecting some of these challenges but I just could not handle the heartbreak.

Leaving Kabul, Afghanistan for the magical-seeming world of Australia, brother and sister, Firizeh and Nour, makes for a danger-fraught trip, relying on strangers, both good and bad. Arriving in Australia, they both encounter different types of danger. Excellent read.

Wow. I honestly could not put this book down. Yu has such a skill of writing from a child’s perspective that just made my heart ache at every word. On Fragile Waves tells the story of a family (Mother, Father, Daughter and a Son) from Afghanistan, who make a dangerous journey to Australia to escape war. They are faced with so much pain and struggles from the minute they leave. What made me adore this book was the amount of hope the author allowed the characters to have, despite the horrific events they went through.

Yu handles difficult topics with such care and respect. Though the story is fiction, it represents many people’s stories around the world today who have had to leave their homes in search of a safer life. The writing was so lyrical, and Yu really makes the act of storytelling a huge focus, and a coping mechanism for the children in this family. Nour (the son) and Firuzeh (the daughter) both love to listen to fantastical stories from their parents of people from faraway lands. Firuzeh begins to recite these to herself throughout this book as a way of distracting herself, but also as a way to understand her own feelings.

Even after arriving in Australia, the family have to deal with racism and white supremacy. Firuzeh tries to stay strong for her abay and atay, but finds that even her parents are crumbling away from the pressures of trying to survive. Seeing her ways of coping was heart-wrenching, and in no way should a child have to live this way. The family face a lot of pressure and hardship, such as trying to find a job as a POC in Australia, affording heating in the winter, paying bills, feeding themselves, threats of deportation. The parents are trying to keep the family alive, whilst Firuzeh has to deal with her own struggles at school. She finds it hard to fit in, and loses herself a little as she allows her new ‘friends’ to change her. Nour loves to play football, and It was lovely to see how one small thing is able to distract him from reality.

On Fragile Waves is simply beautiful. 5 huge stars and I couldn’t recommend this enough. Please have a look at the TW/CW below, there are some really difficult to read scenes in here.

Thank you to Netgelley and Erewhon books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

TW for death, death of a child, death of a parent, terrorism, racism, white supremacy, detainment camps, suicide attempt, suicicide, domestic violence, grief, PTSD

*This book has been provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review of mine*

I must admit that it wouldn't be easy to write a successful book about different culture and nation when you're not originally from that background. So I'd applause Lily Yu for all her hard work and creativity!

This story is about Afghan family who was caught in the middle of the war in their country and had to fled from Afghanistan to Australia via boat by going through so many physical and psychological challenges, loss of family members, hard days on the Oceania island and adaptation to Australian life.

Firuzah is a child who has her dreams and desires from her new life which are not always matching with her family's mindset and expectations of her as an elder daughter and it makes her sad and irritated. We see her growth from her days in travelling boat to her life in Australia - from childhood to adolescent time and it was fascinating to see how much change she's demonstrated.

My favorite part of this book was around the stories, cultural background of this Afghan family which was very similar to my own culture and stories from my country and it was a great discovery that how Afghan and Azerbaijani culture can be so similar. It made me see all the challenges and hardships of an immigrating family from one world to another and what it can lead into in their behaviors and mindset.

Definitely, a worth read if you're interested in diverse cultures, immigration life, and magical story of friendship between 2 girls!

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.

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.

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.

By the way, this author wrote one of my favorite short stories of all time - "The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees."

This book has been rattling around in my head for quite a while. Although bits and pieces were coming to me (like listening to a radio station almost out of range) I waited to start writing my review until it was more fully formed in my head. After I finished each of my last few reads, I asked myself, "And now are you going to write your review?"

The magical realism and suspense elements that have been included elevate this novel to new heights that left me turning the pages as quickly as possible. If you want to fully enjoy the story, suspend your disbelief at the first page. Because I did, I found it a rewarding story for those times when I’ve had a “what if,” or wanted to believe something was a sign from a late beloved family member. On Fragile Waves is an emotional story with its share of love and tragedy. Overall, it offered me hope, and I enjoyed the suspense, sweetness, and poignancy of it all.

A powerful and important book that shines with its beautiful writing and stunning portrayal of the brutality of war. This book is, first and foremost, a story of pain. It's by no means an easy read, and I would highly suggest looking through the content warnings beforehand. E. Lily Yu's writing is poignant and gutwrenching — however, it takes some time getting used to. I spent the first 50-ish pages just trying to accustom myself to the unique style (The author did not use quotation marks during dialogue which took a while to get used to.)

Recommended with caution.

ON FRAGILE WAVES is poignant, startling, and bold. Centered on a refugee family (Omid, Bahar, Nour and Firuzeh Daizangi), this lyrical tale paints a harrowing and beautiful journey to a better life, despite the challenges that lie ahead. It doesn't shy away from being brutally honest -- we sense the desperation of the family, their love, hopes and fears were palpable. Migrating is hellish for so many, despite the hope, and the book reflected this, too. As the family sets off to live in Australia, it truly shows how difficult it is for many migrants to find their place in a new world. It was heartbreaking & soul crushing in so many ways, which is a testament to Yu's powerful use of not only form and language, but also perspective.

In a later chapter of E. Lily Yu’s On Fragile Waves, the protagonist Firuzeh is confiding in her friend Nasima. In reference to their constant relocating, Nasima says, “I don’t remember what home means anymore.” Firuzseh responds, exhausted but hopeful: “Home is where you’re safe, but sometimes it’s not safe. Sometimes it’s not yours, but you can shut your eyes and pretend it is.” It’s here that E. Lily Yu reveals how storytelling is a product of hope and how, in dire circumstances, pretending can keep you going.
The novel addresses the immigrant crisis in Australia. The story follows a young girl, Firuzeh, and her family’s journey immigrating from Afghanistan to Australia. Their journey to Australia becomes far more difficult than their dreams of opportunity imagined. They are forced to make stops in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Nauru – places known for the “offshore processing” of refugees. There Firuzeh and her family live in a tent among many other refugees, waiting for the day they are allowed to enter Australia. To comfort herself from reality, Firuzeh retreats into a dream-like world where she constantly daydreams and narrates fairy tales to herself. This daydreaming extends far enough to maintain a friendship with Nasima, a girl who drowns during a storm on their ship from Pakistan. Yet she cannot hide in her daydreams forever. Upon settling in their new home, Firuzeh’s family life worsens, forcing her out of her dream world and into reality.
On Fragile Waves makes a case for the vitality of daydreamers and storytellers. Firuzeh is consistently retreating from the tragedy surrounding her into her daydreams where her favourite tales are told. In these tales she recalls mystical creatures and harrowing quests and is able to shield herself from her reality of crowded boats and refugee camps. In her own mind Firuzeh is able to work through her emotions surrounding her family’s circumstances, as well as have someone to talk to through her dream-version of Nasima. Due to Yu’s impeccable words, Firuzeh’s method of coping with loss, both of those she loves, as well as her home is framed as noble. Her mind becomes her defense, and the reason that she has been able to make it through all her obstacles.
Yu’s choice to use Firuzeh as the point of view character, despite the novel being in third person, is smart in the sense that readers get to experience Firuzeh’s magical dreams and her rejection of reality. Yet, this decision backfires by stunting the development of all other characters within the novel. Firuzeh is a character who is consistently within her own head, which ends up limiting the reader’s look into the other character’s lives. There are points where they seem to act with no reason because Firuzeh does not understand their motives. Late in the novel, Firuzeh’s brother Nour runs away from the family out of fear of being deported. His actions force Firuzeh out of her daydreams. Because the reader has been in the daydreams with her they’ve been robbed of knowing Nour. It is not until Firuzeh finds him and has a conversation about his actions that the reader is given a chance to know a character outside of Firuzeh’s head – and even then only briefly.
In On Fragile Waves dreaming is an escape as well as potential solution. Not only for Firuzeh, but everyone, who she has met or will meet in the future. They all have hopes for a better life. Yu’s otherworldly but devastating prose perfectly captures this defense of dreams. The novel rests its case; dreams are important not just for pleasure, but for survival.

A family leaves a war-torn Afghanistan in search of a better life in Australia. However, their journey is not without difficulties and, once they reach Australia, they quickly realize that their new home is not exactly welcoming.

I didn’t have the best reading experience with On Fragile Waves. I almost put the book down several times because I struggled quite a bit with the writing style. I have read a few of Yu’s short stories and I have enjoyed them all which is why I was very excited to read her debut novel. However, while I can enjoy experimental writing in flash pieces or short stories, I have come to realize that I’m not a fan of this type of writing in longer works.

In this novel, the author doesn’t use quotation marks and the story is mainly told through dialogues with few descriptions and indications to help the reader picturing the scenes or understanding who is talking when. Everything is inferred from the dialogue and it made the story difficult to follow for me. I found myself reading paragraphs several times to understand who was speaking to whom. In certain parts, it was easy to understand who was speaking but when new characters were introduced, I was often confused. The writing and the structure of the story made it very hard for me to connect and care about the characters.

Nevertheless, if I struggled with the writing, I really appreciated the themes explored by the author. Yu portrayed well the struggles immigrants are faced with when they try to leave their countries, how they are welcomed (or not) in their new country and how small acts of kindness can make a big difference between living and dying.

I also liked the fact that Firuzeh, a young girl, and her brother Nour are at the center of story – I think a lot of stories about the immigrant experience are told from the point of views of adults and not children. However, I struggled with their perspectives because neither of them acted or talked like children even before their journey to Australia. I completely understand that such a journey would make the children grow up faster but, from the beginning of the novel they both acted like adults and it was hard to picture small children behaving the way they did.

I think this book is a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”. I’m sure a lot of readers are going to love this book but I didn’t have the best experience with it. I liked the themes explored but the execution wasn’t for me. Several moments in On Fragile Waves were very powerful and several sentences made me stop because they were beautiful but, if I enjoyed pieces of this book quite a bit, as a novel, it didn’t work for me.

This dad read and reviewed “On Fragile Waves” by E. Lily Yu published by Erewhon Books, a Literary Fiction novel released on February 2, 2021. I cannot think of a book in recent memory that affected me the way this one did (there were tears folks).

The book follows a family of four immigrants – mother, father, daughter and son – fleeing their home country of Afghanistan with the aim of reaching Australia. Told mainly from the perspective of elder daughter Firuzeh, we experience firsthand the family’s toils, triumphs and everything in between as they take incremental steps towards their goals. Yu’s crafted her work in a way that shows that the differences between “us” and “them” need not be derided, rather they should be celebrated. And celebrated through stories.

Stories play a huge part of this book, acting as almost an entirely separate character. They’re what the family tells themselves for entertainment, yes, but they also offer a window into each characters psyche. Yu emphasizes how stories can shape our interior monologues and how they can both harm and hold up those we love. I believe Yu is showing a better way for society. It’s through stories – telling them and listening to them – that walls can come down and true community can thrive.

Often bleak and heartbreaking, Yu’s poetic voice shines. She literally paints with words, expressing dreams, thoughts and the actual narrative in structural ways I’ve never seen before. “On Fragile Waves” accomplishes what few others in my experience have (“Beloved” by Toni Morrison comes to mind); an artful expression of a story so personal, so resonant, so raw that you can’t help but let it embrace you like a loving parent.

I was able to read an ARC copy of On Fragile Waves courtesy of NetGalley, and found it to be a powerful look into the dynamics of the plight of war refugees. I've been fascinated by the refugee narrative since a trip to Turkey at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis, but hadn't found any particularly compelling novels until now.

The story centers around an Afghani family fleeing war-torn Kabul to Australia, with stopovers in Pakistan, Jakarta, and a longer stop in the island nation of Nauru (I was unfamiliar, but doing some research, it sounds like a particularly horrible place to be a refugee, validating much of what you'll find in On Fragile Waves).

Against that pretty grim construct and more trials than one family should ever have to face, Yu nonetheless does a good job of drawing out the ways that families support each other, find joy, and build a life in the face of tremendous challenge. Yu as much as tells the reader that's what she's after in a scene late in the novel (don't worry, no spoilers here) where a character meeting members of the refugee community: a volunteer suggests that '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? [...] Anyone can suffer. But joy--that's hard. Ask about joy."

The prose is a little bit adventurous - some unique formatting that may feel more appropriate on paper than an e-copy on a phone, as would the unique lack of quotes. This is one of those books that I read in electronic format that I may yet still buy in physical copy: I could see myself revisiting this, and it's fast enough that one could conceivably do that in a day or two.

I'd highly recommend, and am interested to see what the book achieves in terms of notoriety and popularity in 2021.

(Posted on Goodreads)

On Fragile Waves reminded me a lot of Christy Lefteri’s The Beekeeper of Aleppo. The writing is the same mix of lyrical and poetic. However , I think it is going to be something that falls through the cracks for a lot of people, myself included. I had really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, and I can’t help but be saddened that this book did not live up to expectations.

The book is told from the perspective of a child. Because of this, the author writes dialogue without distinction in the lines. By this I mean any dialogue is within the same lines as the other text with no grammatical or structural change between that which is narrated and that which is verbally spoken, or by whom. I understand the mechanics behind this. As a child, we often are privy to a multitude of conversations where we have no true understanding of. Our innocent and innocuous nature leaves us on the fringes of any conversations around us. We may or may not understand the words that are spoken, but, more importantly, we don’t understand their purpose or context.


For me, the writing format was incredibly frustrating to follow. I often found my mind wandering off which is something I find immensely bothersome. Reading this book and attempting to stay focused was like trying to have a conversation with someone who is profoundly dull.

A gorgeous, deeply sad story of a family that manages to escape from war in Afghanistan. They end up in Australia, by way of Jakarta then spend many dreadful months in Nauru in a prison camp for refugees, before they finally arrive in Australia on five-year visas, with the constant threat of deportation hanging over them.
There are moments of such beauty throughout the book amidst the terror, loneliness, anger, helplessness and unease that suffuse Firuzeh's and her family’s experiences. Their hopes are gradually ground down and destroyed, while they face governmental and personal animosity and indifference at every turn.
Mentions of the sea and water occur frequently in the book, as the ocean plays a pivotal part of Firuzeh's travels, and her friendship with Nassima. I loved the colours and feelings of beauty and fear that the author evoked in her scenes of the two girls together, showing Nassima adorned with reminders of the deep, while she conversed with Firuzeh about the family’s dashed hopes and Firuzeh’s nightmares. I could hear water trickling around the girls, and feel the presence and pressure of the water in these moments.
And the ending! I love the circle back to the story Atay told Firuzeh at the beginning of their escape. It’s a sublime and fitting resolution to Firuzeh’s gruelling journey and a gives the already beautiful book a lyrical end.

A beautifully written story about a family’s journey for survival. To escape a country that was no longer safe and tread across treacherous waters to a newfound land they could call home.

This story starts off hopeful but it’s far from it. We follow their journey from Pakistan, as they escape by boat to Nauru and finally to Australia. The real story is what happens in between. Their journey, their fight for survival, and all the risks they took to reach new land.

We are shown are side that’s not often talked about. What actually goes on in these refugee camps. How they are treated and if they even make it out alive.

That racism is real and alive in Australia. As much as it’s a multicultural country, we are far from the accepting and moving country we should be. The terrible treatment given to refugees, the zero support network, and the over reliant on volunteers for help.

Firuzeh and her family are faced with countless struggles from living on bread and dry chicken to rejected letters to the xenophobic and racist people they meet. They really are just trying to start a new life but people can be so cruel.

We also get a glimpse into the family dynamic of a family that praises their only son over their daughter. A son that gets to play soccer, have treats and hang with friends. While their daughter is stuck at home doing homework and chores.

The daughter who is haunted by her dead friend. The friend who didn’t make it across the waters. Who talks to her in her dreams and saves her from her nightmares.

The story itself was heartbreaking indeed. We see two parents struggling to make ends meet. The division they placed between brother and sister. The rage that was bubbling inside a little girl.

The lyrical prose is something to get used too, and the lack of quotations marks often left me confused with who was speaking. Aside from that, there were random chapters of side characters (that had quotation marks?) that didn’t really add anything to the rest of the story. However, I loved the setting of Melbourne and use of Aussie slang.

On Fragile Waves is a tender, intimate portrait of the trauma of immigration, conflict, loss, and resilience through the eyes of a young girl. Poetic, understated, and, according to author E. Lily Yu, 8+ years in the making, On Fragile Waves holds a fine position in contemporary magical realism.

The story is told primarily through Firuzeh’s eyes. The narrative begins fractured and staggered as she is born, the words on the page only collecting themselves and coming together as Firuzeh grows into her childhood in Afghanistan, raised on fantastical, adventurous stories from her Abay and Atay. The stories of Rustam and Bibinegar, and their bravery, become critical as the family becomes refugees, fleeing Afghanistan for asylum in Australia.

This is where On Fragile Waves becomes both delicate and haunting. Firuzeh’s perspective limits the scope and scale of the brutal, cruel path of her family’s journey. Her degree of innocence to the surroundings, and what was potentially going to happen, made it all the more horrifying for me to read. My shoulders were tense and my grip tight on the book while Firuzeh is making a new friend on the ship to Australia. The story is delicate for the fragile balance of innocence and knowledge, of safety and danger, and haunting for the push and pull between how much Firuzeh is fully cognisant of and how little.

Interspersed in Firuzeh’s narrative are a chapter each for others: an Australian refugee camp guard, a teacher facing sudden deportation of a student, a writer come to tell stories of immigrants and refugees. Here, Firuzeh’s experiences gain context: the harsh “dumping ground” of the Nauru refugee center; the unstable, liminal position that the TPV (temporary protection visa) affords asylum seekers; and the writers who focus on the pain and don’t ask about joy.On Fragile Waves is a startling, shining, poetic work of magical realism, with fantastical elements that blur the line between reality and imagination, a critique and a reflection, and a story of one family finding hope, terror, joy, tragedy, and love.

read this book ‼️ 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this book has easily made its way to my top 10 favorite of all time. it’s SO good. On Fragile Waves is about humanity, and love, how we so easily manage to overlook someone else’s suffering for our own comfort. this is the story of what it is like to be a young girl, fleeing her home country with her family, to find refuge in a country that doesn’t want her. this is the story of family, friendship, survival, loss, death, sacrifice, feminism, girlhood, guilt, choosing to not see, suffering, depletion. oooh and the use of storytelling is really beautiful and magical.

it is the saddest book i’ve ever read.

“i tried, Nasima said, but they didn’t see me. like when i was alone. i was a daughter-shaped space in the universe. you feed it. you put shoes and dresses on it. you raise it properly, like a sheep, so you can take it to market someday. but you don’t see her, you don’t see your daughter, not really. not the way you see your sons. who are with something. who’ll work someday.”

thank you so much @netgalley & @ErewhonBooks for the ARC! happy publishing day!

On Fragile Waves tells the riveting and raw refugee journey of an Afghan family of four: Omid, Bahar, Nour and Firuzeh Daizangi.

So much praise for this book! I really enjoyed the imagery as scenery changed from one country or geographical area to the next--and not just as in places but also in that of figments of imagination of Firuzeh and Nour. Throughout the grueling voyage towards becoming permanent refugees, Yu places bits and pieces of two different tales are told by mother or father to the children. I saw this incorporation of mysticism as something so realistic and inherent to parental nature.--that is: these tales are used to draw on the courage or other characteristics the characters within had, and to be used as encouragement for the difficulties Firuzeh and Nour were facing. In addition, I was glad to read from the position of different characters. For that of Firuzeh especially, it was lovely to read her self reflection. For others, such as the Nauru refugee camp workers, I much appreciated the juxtaposition of such a perspective next to that of the asylum seekers themselves. It highlighted the frivolity of the workers complaints about their own lives...they have jobs and loved ones and choose to be separate for days by choice, whilst the migrants have only each other, poor quality of food, etc. The former complains about the nature of the job. The latter are just happy that their loved ones are alive. For me, this added depth and meaning to the story, but also allowed me to connect better with Firuzeh and her family as characters.

I enjoyed Yu's style of writing, though I will admit that it took a few pages and occasional re-reading to get used to. For me, it seemed like a mirror of the chaos that existing within the reality of migrating. Words coming from here and there; interjections--not only of words but of actions--as others speak...it was as if it the writing symbolized the abrupt changes in the scenery and the people in and surrounding the lives of Firuzeh and her family.

Lastly, a thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for the free eARC. It was truly a pleasure to read.

5 stars for On Fragile Waves!