This coming-of-age graphic novel follows 17-year-old Nimmi, who’s carrying the weight of being estranged from her mother. Set in 2004 during the Sri Lankan civil war, the story captures her emotional journey as she defies her overprotective father and travels to a homeland she barely knows. What starts as a personal mission to reconnect with her mom turns into something much bigger when a devastating tsunami hits. The illustrations of the destruction were absolutely heart wrenching.

Amid the chaos and grief, Nimmi begins to uncover who she is as a daughter and as a young queer woman trying to find her place in the world. Her time in Sri Lanka reshapes her understanding of family, love, and her future. This story hits on loss, resilience, identity, and the strength it takes to forge your own path.

Loved this! I'm making a concerted effort to read more diverse "own voices" works and this one fit the bill perfectly. The story was compelling and heart-wrenching, the illustrations we gorgeous and set the perfect tone while still capturing images that remind of real life.

There's a lot going on in this story and yet, it feels well paced and all completely relevant in telling Nimmi's story. Perhaps it's partly due to the graphic novel format that so many themes and elements for into this story without clashing because I feel like that's not an uncommon thing I've seen ya authors struggle with.

This was a really quick read for me but it still made me cry. I'm interested in picking up a physical version of this and giving it a reread every once in awhile!

I'd recommend this to anyone who is interested in a 3rd culture, coming of age, self-discovery, Sri Lanka focused, or family healing story.

A moving story of a fractured family finding their way forward. Absolutely gorgeous illustrations definitely steal the show here, but the story itself is also great. I loved the journey of Nimmi coming to terms with her mother's decision, and felt like the narrative path was authentic and relatable. My only complaint is that I would have liked a bit more breathing room in the story — a lot of ground was covered, and I would have liked time to digest each piece a bit more before we were whisked to the next adventure. Would recommend for any libraries where teens like reading family driven stories.

Also, as a head's up, this book does have some on the page blood/death. It's not over-the-top gory, but definitely something to be mindful of when you're doing RA.

Set during true events of war and natural disaster that occurred in Sri Lanka in 2004, Tall Water is a moving story of a teenage girl named Nimmi trying to reconnect with the mother she hasn’t seen since she was a baby. While Nimmi and her journalist father live in Sioux, South Dakota, Nimmi’s mother lives in Sri Lanka where war wages on the doorstep.

Driven by dreams of her mother calling out to her, when Nimmi’s father gets a job covering the war in Sri Lanka, Nimmi seizes the chance to follow. But even knowing there is a war where she’s going doesn’t prepare her for how scary it is to be in the middle of it. Unfortunately, war isn’t the only scary thing looming on the horizon.

Though a lot of the subject matter in the story is difficult to stomach, it’s a story that’s told beautifully with art that feels graceful and not gratuitous. There is death and some violence, as would be in any story involving war or natural disaster, but it’s shown as a matter of fact and not embellished. Ultimately, this story feels like an important tale of strength and self-discovery, and how you can find both in places you never expected. I loved it.

5⭐️s out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this Advanced Copy! All opinions are my own.

This was an amazing book. It touched on some serious topics that actually intrigued me and made me want to get curious about the world problems and be more aware of the impacts of what is happening elsewhere in the world. This was an emotional journey that I was neither expecting to be as intense as it was, and that resonated so deeply despite that I don’t share any of the experiences the protagonist goes through. I highly recommend but it is not for the faint of heart. Please be mindful that it does have some graphic and intense moments throughout the story and does depict different tragedies If you are in a safe headspace for this story, it is an absolute must-read.

I did not know much amount the Sri Lankan Civil War or the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and earthquake before requesting this graphic novel on NetGalley. While reading, I was overcome with grief for the people affected by both of these devastating tragedies. I was moved by the storytelling, art style, and emotion striking each page. The visual portrayal of Nimmi’s hopes and dreams juxtaposed with her fear and pain is heartbreakingly beautiful. I appreciated how Nimmi’s coming-of-age experiences, like high school, applying to college, self-discovery, relationships, and family dynamics, were incorporated, too. She felt real and relatable, so I was invested in her as the story progressed and the stakes increased exponentially. It was impossible not to make connections to current events and recent history about which I have read, studied, and/or recall. Amongst many others, some of the events I could not help but think about while reading were Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, the United States quickly descending in fascism, the Sierra Leonean Civil War, and Hurricane Katrina. The role of the media and journalism is crucial to this story, the other aforementioned examples, and countless more. As Nimmi’s father reminds her, “Never look away.” It is my greatest hope one day this kind of story will no longer be considered timeless and timely. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was incredibly interesting and had me gripped from beginning to end and it was emotional tale of family, and how we come to terms with Reality when all we've had is what we've created in our own mind. But it is really more of one that has to be experienced then heard from someone else.

The Art is beautiful, and goes perfectly with S.J. Sindu's writing.

I wasn't expecting our protagonist to be from Sioux Falls, SD. Let alone her Bi-Queen Energy.

This was such a moving book. The art design and color were just amazing. I don't think I've ever seen a YA book that includes the wide ranging impacts of Boxing Day tsunami in its plot. The protagonist's coming of age through understanding what her parents went through and still go through, brought such beautiful introspective character development for the protagonist. I will keep a lookout for other books by this author. They definitely will be worth the read.

This book would be a perfect addition to any middle school classroom library. It touches on subjects that so many of my students experience in their own life. I am talking about the absence of a parent or searching for a missing parent and not so much the aspect of being in a war torn country. This book tugs at your heartstrings when she dreams about her mother and then finally gets to hear the story of their separation. All children who are missing a parent want to know the details and why their parent chose to leave or stay gone. This is a deeply emotional book and I definitely felt a connection to the characters. I would recommend this book to my middle school students and then invite them to talk about the feelings that it stirred up with our school guidance counselor. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this exceptional book!

This was a gut wrenching and beautiful graphic novel. Nimmi hasn't seen her mother since she was a baby because she lives in Sri Lanka. Her father refuses to take her when a job comes up for him but she sneaks over anyway. Nimmi finally sees her mother again when they go to the UNICEF orphanage she runs. Unfortunately, they are there on December 26, 2004 when the big tsunami hits. This is a story of loss, love, abandonment, and what it means to be a parent, child, and refugee. The illustrations absolutely bring this story to life.

Tall Water follows Nimmi as she travels to Sri Lanka to spend the summer with her mother, who has been living in Sri Lanka for her whole life. As their relationship starts to repair, a tsunami hits the island. This coming-of-age graphic novel is tragic and hopeful. It falls outside of the age range of my students, but I would recommend it for middle and/or high school libraries.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nimmi has never lived with her mother, except through letters of correspondence. With her mother running an orphanage in Sri Lanka, Nimmi is desperate to meet her finally. However, when her father receives notice to be a journalist once more in Sri Lanka, he refuses to let his daughter accompany him. War is happening there, and everything is dangerous. But Nimmi makes her own choice and buys a plane ticket, meeting her dad at the airport. Through a stark change in everyday life in Sri Lanka, Nimmi finds her voice amongst the people. Yet, something dangerous is coming, and everything will change forever.
Not quite as interesting as SJ Sindu’s Shakti, this graphic novel is more realistic about the onset of war and the choices people make as a result. The relationship between Nimmi and her mother is balanced on a thin line of misunderstandings and hard decisions. I wish there were more background information on Nimmi’s dream world, especially regarding her wings. Otherwise, this graphic piece is part contemporary and part magical realism.

I really loved the artwork in this story, I felt as though it played along with the story very well and brought it to life. Overall I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to others. Especially if you’re looking for something that’ll get your mind thinking and just put you in the feels.

The story begins with Nimmi experiencing vivid dreams of her mother in Sri Lanka, which she interprets as a sign to reconnect. The problem? Her dad doesn’t have a visa to visit, and she’s not allowed to go alone. But once his visa is reinstated for a work assignment—to cover the ongoing war—Nimmi decides to use his money to secretly book her own flight and “surprise” him. And I have to say, her dad’s reasoning for wanting her to stay home made complete sense. He’s not going on vacation; he’s heading into an active war zone for work. What exactly did she think was going to happen?

It was hard not to read the entire book and think, “You are flying into a war zone! What are you thinking?”

Also, the book is marketed as being about Nimmi reconnecting with her mother after the Indian Ocean tsunami, but that disaster doesn’t even happen until the last fourth of the book. And even then, she seems to connect more with a girl from the Red Cross than with her actual mom. Meanwhile, her boyfriend is back home, watching her cat.

The art in this book isn’t my favorite (I’m definitely more partial to vibrant, colorful styles), but I felt it fit the tone of the novel. I read another review that criticized Tall Water for being too graphic in its depictions of violence, but I disagree. This book is meant for young adults, and I think the violence shown isn’t overly graphic. Blood is depicted, but it’s not gory. I actually think the way war is portrayed here is realistic and grounded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this Advanced Copy!

Available August 2025.

SJ Sindu is one of my favorite queer South Asian authors - the beautiful way she addresses storytelling and family relations. What struck me most about this book is the way the start and end are mirror reflections of each other, this book doesn't shy away from the complicated history of Tamil resistance in Sri Lanka, but it sees the people as everyday people navigating complicated relationships. As a reader, I am left emotionally gutted but whole, like water folding in on itself.

An emotionally complex story that covers a lot. Shines light on a lesser-known conflict and natural disaster. Really well done.

I'm not one for historical reads, but this book brought me in. From the beginning, I wanted to know why Nimmi's mom did not follow her family to the United States. Nimmi decides to go to Sri Lanka against her father's will to meet her mother who she hasn't seen since she was very little. Nimmi learns about her country and why her mother made the decisions she did.

i know very little about Sri Lanka, let alone the devastating tsunami that happened in 2004. this is a YA historical graphic novel about nimmi who is graduating high school and isn't entirely sure what she wants to do but she knows she wants to make a difference. she's been writing letters back and forth with her mother in Sri Lanka who she's never met. Her father ends up on an assignment in Sri Lanka but he doesn't want her to go with because it's dangerous. regardless of that nimmi finds her way to Sri Lanka. there she witnesses war, connects with her mother, and ends up finding herself in the process. this was a beautiful, emotional, and important graphic novel. i know very little about Sri Lanka, let alone the devastating tsunami that happened there. i'm walking away knowing more than i've ever known about Sri Lanka and i really value that.

Thoughtful book that focuses on the issues at hand with the war in Sri Lanka. A mom had to make a tough decision to save her daughter or save the lives of other children who are orphaned. We journey through the lives of Nimm and her mother as they navigate separation. Nimm misses the mother she never knew and is still trying to figure out her life while working as a student journalist. Finally, her dad gets an assignment in Sri Lanka and she secretly follows him despite his clear instructions for her not to follow him. She learns new things about her parent's past and sees a side of war that she has never seen before. A great,. well-written, thought-provoking novel!

As a South Asian myself, after reading this novel, I realised how little history do I know about other South Asian countries around me. The book did an excellent job in rooting the characters in the culture and their traditions while showing the impact the war had made in the region. The conversation about identity, colonialism, and war was written in a simple way that would help teenagers learn about the diversity they are surrounded with.