Ghosts of the Tsunami

I like the way he starts with where he was and how he felt. Then he comes to the realization that it is bigger than him and that eventually gets us to the community he is going to focus on. We hear bits and pieces from several different families before the tsunami, during, immediately after, and then more long term effects. We see how different people approach their life after and why.
It wasn't what I expected mostly because of structure. The bits and pieces we get are so spread out that it can make individual stories hard to follow. It is less a story about the facts of what happened and more a series of vignettes from various people. It adds up to an overall feeling, but not an overall story.

“It is conventional to picture such reunions as joyful moments of emotional release. But the emotions are too big, and too mixed with despair. Over the past few days, Hirouki had arrived at the belief that he had lost his parents, two daughters, son and wife. When he saw Hitomi, he adjusted his understanding: as it had turned out, he had lost his mother, father and three children. Hitomi said. ‘But we were so preoccupied with thoughts of the children. Until I found them, I couldn't feel any relief'”