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.

So hard to imagine what these people lived through. The stories of the survivors are heartbreaking but you also feel pain for those who were lost that day. The author writes about the facts with compassion and sensitivity. He tries to give you an understanding of the psyche of the Japanese people of that region in dealing with the years of recovery.