This fictional tale about a teen who visits her birth country of Sri Lanka is based on the author's own experiences in the civil war and 2004 tsunami that devastated the country. Nimmi is raised by her American father, and after recurring dreams about her mother, she sneaks off to Sri Lanka to join her father's journalist assignment. There, she reconnects with her mother and grapples with her anger and sadness that her mother stayed behind, helps out at the orphanage her mother runs, and develops an emotional bond with a Red Cross worker. The tsunami scene is devastating and tense, as are the interactions with security protocols in the war-torn areas. Although this story centers on a teenager coming of age, the subject matter is unflinching. I also loved the art style, which has a textured effect in the background that looks like sketchbook paper that makes the digital art feel more down-to-earth.

This is a powerful graphic novel that highlights family, war, and natural disasters. The art is beautiful, and the story is sad but necessary. This is a fantastic read for teenagers.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Wow what a poignant graphic novel. I don’t think it’s for a younger audience given the topics covered (war, genocide, death) but I learned a lot about Sri Lanka history and diaspora. It’s a really beautifully illustrated novel that covers a topic I haven’t seen much about so I recommend it (for a more mature audience).

Tall Water is a graphic novel about a Tamil girl named Nimmi who is pulled to visit her homeland of Sri Lanka and meet her mother for the first time. It's 2004 and Sri Lanka is in the midst of a civil war, but her dad is a journalist with a press pass, so she hopes to join him. He refuses, but she finds her way despite that. Once there, Nimmi sees the violence of war and has mixed feelings about her mom who is running an orphanage. Then disaster strikes with a tsunami that leaves the island in pieces. Nimmi stays to help pick up the pieces and mend a part of herself. This was a short but powerful story with beautiful art that taught me a lot about Sri Lanka. Thanks to HarperAlley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed connecting to characters impacted by the Sri Lanka tsunami of 2004. Nimmi left Sri Lanka as a baby with her American father. She doesn’t understand the world her mother has been living in all these years and has to grapple with the tough feelings of her mother’s absence and the reality of her mother’s life in Sri Lanka.

Thank you to NetGalley, SJ Sindu & Dion MBD, and Harper Collin’s for the advanced reader

Beautiful and touching graphic novel covering a mother-daughter relationship, coming of age, war, and the tsunami in Sri Lanka. Excellent illustration and storytelling woven together. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperAlley for an advanced copy for a honest review.

"Tall Water" tells the engaging story of a teen girl who sneaks away to Sri Lanka. Her journalist father has left her home (sort of) alone while he goes to Sri Lanka on assignment; her long lost mother is there too. She finds them both and learns so much about her mother's home country and her parents.

The art style of "Tall Water" is beautiful. Everything has a watercolor-ish beauty that draws the reader in. My only critique would be that I wanted more to the story. So many plot lines were only briefly glanced on and I felt like much of it could be much further expanded upon. Overall, an interesting, engaging tale that will leave the reader wanting to know more.

Nimmi’s American father is a journalist who has an assignment in Sri Lanka, where her mother has natively lived since Nimmi was an infant. Nimmi longs to see her mother again but her father forbids her from going with him was the war-torn country is quite dangerous for a teenager. Nimmi goes against her father’s wishes and boards on a plane to Sri Lanka anyway. Her furious father tells her the conditions of being in a war-torn country. After they were held captive and she witnesses a vicious beating of their bus driver, she sees firsthand that her father’s warnings are not to be taken lightly. Once they arrive at the orphanage where Nimmi’s mother works, the family reunites. After the Indian Ocean major earthquake, a tsunami hits Sri Lanka and sweeps away the orphanage. Who will survive?

I didn’t feel any real connection to the story. I know that war plays a significant part of Sri Lanka’s history but I felt like it consumed too much of the story. I was well aware of the earthquake and tsunamis that hit much of that part of the world at the time. However, there was not much on the tsunami and the aftermath, comprising only one-third of the entire book – the title is misleading. I was not impressed with the artwork nor the coloring. The lines on the illustrations were broken and not clear. The colors were drab and sepia toned, perhaps to set the mood for the story but I found it incredibly dreary. I also did not care for the growing attraction between Nimmi and the Red Cross volunteer. It seems like it was thrown in there just to appeal to an LGBTQIA+ audience. The interactions between Nimmi and her mother are heartbreaking yet hopeful. I am happy to see there is some representation for people from Sri Lanka. This is the first story I’ve read that included Sri Lankans.

Seventeen-year-old Nimmi hasn't seen her mother since she was a baby. Her family separated by civil war in Sri Lanka, she was raised in the United States by her journalist father, hearing from her mother, who runs an orphanage in Sri Lanka, only through scarce letters. When Nimmi's father suddenly receives clearance to return to Sri Lanka to cover continuing war, Nimmi seizes the opportunity and steals her father's credit card to book her own flight to the country of her birth. Her father gives begrudging permission for Nimmi to accompany him. Sri Lanka, with the violence of the government and military, and her mother, who seems to prefer parenting the orphans to Nimmi, isn't the closure or familiarity Nimmi hopes for. And when a deadly tsunami swallows the seashore and many of the people living there, Nimmi must not only face her hurt and need for connection but also the new threats of a land torn apart by water.

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.