Tall Water was a beautiful story that takes place in the days before and after the devastating tsunami in Sri Lanka. Nimmi is a strong lead who is looking to find her direction in life as she prepares to go to college but also wishes to meet the mother she never knew. I loved being able to learn more about the civil war that occurred in Sri Lanka.

I found the growth between Nimmi and her mother to be moving and I loved how it contrasted where her mother work.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Tall Water by SJ Sindu and illustrated by Dion MBD is a YA graphic novel with light speculative elements exploring the Sri Lankan civil war through a biracial teen’s return to her home country. Nimmi is a high school senior aspiring to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a journalist. Her passion for the conflict in Sri Lanka has made her butt heads with school officials and contributed to her feeling isolated. When her father’s press access to Sri Lanka is finally reinstated, Nimmi takes the chance to finally see her mother again and return to the place she was born.

Before picking this up, I was not only unaware that Sri Lanka had a civil war so recently (the conflict ended in 2009), but that it was so violent and that it had lasted 26 years. I was also unaware of the December 26th, 2004 tsunami that impacted half a million people. I love it when kidlit explores historical conflicts, especially more recent ones that many people might be too young to have been aware of or that never really got talked about on the news, because it is so important for us to know our history so we can make more informed decisions when we want to contribute to activism to help mend the harm done. SJ Sindu and Dion MBD do not shy away from the realities of the civil war and there are depictions of violence, discrimination against Tamil people, families being torn apart, and death, but it was what happened. Those stories deserve space.

The main thrust of the story is the complex relationship between Nimmi and her parents. Her father is a white American who met her Tamil Sri Lankan mother eighteen years before and the two formed a romantic relationship but never married. This made it exceedingly difficult for Nimmi’s mother to get a visa after Andrew and Nimmi came to the US when Nimmi was a baby (with Nimmi’s mother’s full knowledge and permission). Nimmi’s contact with her mother is limited by the technology at the time (2004) and the complications created by the civil war. While it is frustrating that Nimmi’s father was very resistant to bringing Nimmi to Sri Lanka when his press pass was reinstated, you learn very quickly why he was concerned and that he has no hard feelings towards his sort-of life partner (it’s complicated. It’s never stated if they are still in a relationship but given that the two are still single and their reunion, it’s possible that they are still emotionally committed to each other).

The art uses a lot of soft colors and a more limited color palette, which makes red really stand out every time it’s on the page. I think that was such a smart choice because I was shocked at how vivid blood was and the red of the Red Cross, which one of the characters is a member of. Red is the color of violence, but it’s also the color of an organization that SJ Sindu says has done a lot of good in Sri Lanka. Dion MBD’s use of color and color theory makes for a beautiful book and helps push the complex themes forward.

Content warning for death, emaciated children, violence, and racism

I would recommend this to fans of works with biracial leads exploring their heritage and fans of YA graphic novels looking for works focused on recent conflicts

Perfect. The pacing was great, the illustrations were amazing. This was such an impactful book about wars and the strain on families.

A fascinating graphic novel about a young American who returns to Sri Lanka to meet her mother for the first time and happens to be there during the devastating and fatal Christmas tidal wave. The illustrations are great and the way various characters stories are intertwined is compelling.

Nimmi's sure she is ready to be a journalist, but a trip to Sri Lanka to see her estranged mother exposes her to the real horrors of both war and natural disasters. The artwork depicts the harrowing tsunami and violence viscerally but not so graphic as to be unapproachable. A great read for teens who are interested in recent history, familial relationships, and human rights work.