Tall Water by SJ Sindu, Dion MBD: Review
Welcome to my review of Tall Water by SJ Sindu and illustrated by Dion MBD! The description for this one definitely piqued my interest, and I’m always trying to read more graphic novels.
Title: Tall Water
Author: SJ Sindu
Illustrator: Dion MBD
Genre: Coming-of-age Graphic Novel
Publisher: HarperAlley
Pub Date: 08/12/25
Description
From Stonewall Honor–winning writer SJ Sindu, author of Shakti, and celebrated illustrator Dion MBD comes a powerful coming-of-age teen graphic novel that follows one girl’s journey to Sri Lanka to reconnect with her long-lost mother during the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Perfect for fans of Persepolis and Almost American Girl.
Ever since she turned sixteen, Nimmi has wanted to see her mother. Though she has a loving but overprotective father and a budding relationship, she yearns to travel to Sri Lanka to confront the mother who refused to leave the island during a war, not even for Nimmi’s sake. Her father is going back for the first time as a reporter on assignment, but he refuses to take her, deeming Sri Lanka too dangerous.
But then Nimmi’s mother appears to her in a dream, asking her to come find her, and Nimmi knows she must go. Her father is livid when he sees her at baggage claim, but by then it’s too late, and he reluctantly agrees to help Nimmi make contact with her mother. In Sri Lanka, Nimmi tags along with her father and his guide, past checkpoints and armed soldiers and increasing hints of the war that rages there.
However, the day after Christmas, disaster strikes and a tsunami ravages the island. Stranded amid the devastation and destruction, can Nimmi reunite with her mother? Through her journey, Nimmi might just learn that the person she most needed to find was herself.
Review
Tall Water was such a good book. Between the story and the art style, I was completely immersed in Nimmi’s journey and struggles. I appreciated the author’s note about the real-life events that influenced the novel, like the 2004 tsunami that hit Sri Lanka and Sindu’s childhood during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The book never shied away from the harsh realities of war and devastation, but there was still hope and reunification and healing laced throughout the pages.
Nimmi was definitely a passionate protagonist, but that passion also progressed the narrative and opened the door for some tough conversations. This book does a great job of highlighting what it can look like to feel abandoned by a parent and to discover yourself. I would definitely recommend this book, but maybe keep a couple of tissues nearby because I almost cried a few times.
*Thank you to the publisher for the finished copy. All opinions are my own.*
Author
SJ Sindu is a Tamil diaspora writer whose works include the novels Marriage of a Thousand Lies (winner of the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and an ALA Stonewall Honor Book) and Blue-Skinned Gods (finalist for a Lambda Literary Award) as well as the graphic novel Shakti, the short story collection The Goth House Experiment, and the chapbooks I Once Met You But You Were Dead and Dominant Genes. Sindu holds a PhD in English and creative writing from Florida State University and is an assistant professor of creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University. More at sjsindu.com.
Dion MBD is an Indonesian illustrator whose works are inspired by the interaction between the natural and human-made world. When not creating images, Dion is building a community and education platform called Ilustrasee for aspiring illustrators in Indonesia. If you can’t find him in his studio in Bandung, he is most likely traveling to learn more from those living all across the globe. Visit Dion at dionmbd.com.
Where to Buy
Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
