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Let Not the Waves of the Sea
LET NOT THE WAVES OF THE SEA is Simon Stephenson's account of his journey following the loss of his brother in the Indian Ocean tsunami. If it is a story of grief, it is also a story of hope and of the unexpected places where healing can be found.
Simon's journey takes him from Edinburgh in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, to Downing Street in London, to Thailand and the island where his brother died, to the scene of an ancient tsunami on the north-west coast of the United States, and to the town where he and his brother's favourite childhood film was made. Along the way there is heartbreak, dengue fever, Greek mythology, and hard physical labour in the tropical heat, but there is also memory, redemption and humour as well.
Simon's journey takes him from Edinburgh in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, to Downing Street in London, to Thailand and the island where his brother died, to the scene of an ancient tsunami on the north-west coast of the United States, and to the town where he and his brother's favourite childhood film was made. Along the way there is heartbreak, dengue fever, Greek mythology, and hard physical labour in the tropical heat, but there is also memory, redemption and humour as well.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2011
About the author
Simon Stephenson
6 books216 followersHello, good readers!
I am from Edinburgh in Scotland, but now reside in Los Angeles, California. I have had stopovers along the way in London and San Francisco. I’m a writer and screenwriter, and before I became a full-time writer I was a physician.
My new novel, ‘Sometimes People Die’ will be published in September 2022. It's a literary thriller set in a hospital in east London around the turn of the millenium.
I have written two other books. ‘Set My Heart To Five’ came out in 2020. The Washington Post review said that I might be ‘Vonnegut’s first true protege’. You’d better believe I have been dining out on that ever since, and will be for the rest of my days.
‘Let Not the Waves Of the Sea’, my memoir about losing my brother came out in 2012. It won Best First Book at the Scottish Book Awards, and was serialized on BBC Radio 4.
I’ve worked as a writer on various films including Pixar’s LUCA, PADDINGTON 2, and my own THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN. Like every other screenwriter in Hollywood, I have a bottom drawer full of unproduced scripts.
Away from work I mostly like to ride my bike in nearby Griffith Park. in hope of encountering my neighbor the mountain lion. I'm also a fan of animals (petting them not eating them,) cakes (eating them not petting them), and soccer/football.
I am from Edinburgh in Scotland, but now reside in Los Angeles, California. I have had stopovers along the way in London and San Francisco. I’m a writer and screenwriter, and before I became a full-time writer I was a physician.
My new novel, ‘Sometimes People Die’ will be published in September 2022. It's a literary thriller set in a hospital in east London around the turn of the millenium.
I have written two other books. ‘Set My Heart To Five’ came out in 2020. The Washington Post review said that I might be ‘Vonnegut’s first true protege’. You’d better believe I have been dining out on that ever since, and will be for the rest of my days.
‘Let Not the Waves Of the Sea’, my memoir about losing my brother came out in 2012. It won Best First Book at the Scottish Book Awards, and was serialized on BBC Radio 4.
I’ve worked as a writer on various films including Pixar’s LUCA, PADDINGTON 2, and my own THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN. Like every other screenwriter in Hollywood, I have a bottom drawer full of unproduced scripts.
Away from work I mostly like to ride my bike in nearby Griffith Park. in hope of encountering my neighbor the mountain lion. I'm also a fan of animals (petting them not eating them,) cakes (eating them not petting them), and soccer/football.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 5, 2017
At its core equal parts sad and hopeful, this deeply confessional book by a grieving Brother struck a personal chord with me. The details supplied and anecdotes shared, in their rawness, make Let Not the Waves of the Sea feel less like a book and more like a conversation that you're having with a close friend. The short chapters make consuming it quickly possible but at the same time, easy to pick up and put down.
September 25, 2011
I guess one of my favorite genres of memoirs are the ones that deal with death and loss, which may seem creepy but seldom do I enjoy the ones that have super bubbly happy lives. But thinking about it most autobiographies deal with the author dealing with some form of crisis and overcoming it.
So Simon and his family awake to the news of the Boxing day Tsunami in the Indian ocean 2004, aware that his brother Dominic and partner Eileen are holidaying in a Thai Beach resort. When they fail to hear from them, an uncle ventures south to see if he can identify any of the vast numbers of bodies found and reality sets in.
It is overwhelming now to consider just how many people died, 230,000 is an amazing number to picture in any one group, and that huge families were just lost and so many bodies will never be identified or found. I was talking to my dad about it, and how little we were shown on the news, compared to the Japanese earthquake and following Tsunami. At the time though, our mum was ill and probably less time was spent in front of the TV as it was the middle of our summer, and many press would have been in the midst of holidays.
This book was sweet in its own special way as Simon talks about his relationship with his brother, growing up together in Scotland and how the grieving affected his life. Returning to Thailand many times after the disaster I think he is searching for some lost connection to his brother that never really comes, and is surprised yet I think that when someone dies you won't find that at the cemetery, or where they lived or died, you can only find that connection within yourself, when the sadness ebbs away.
A 4/5 - as it was a good reminder to be kind to your family and friends in your own life, as you never know when they will be gone.
So Simon and his family awake to the news of the Boxing day Tsunami in the Indian ocean 2004, aware that his brother Dominic and partner Eileen are holidaying in a Thai Beach resort. When they fail to hear from them, an uncle ventures south to see if he can identify any of the vast numbers of bodies found and reality sets in.
It is overwhelming now to consider just how many people died, 230,000 is an amazing number to picture in any one group, and that huge families were just lost and so many bodies will never be identified or found. I was talking to my dad about it, and how little we were shown on the news, compared to the Japanese earthquake and following Tsunami. At the time though, our mum was ill and probably less time was spent in front of the TV as it was the middle of our summer, and many press would have been in the midst of holidays.
This book was sweet in its own special way as Simon talks about his relationship with his brother, growing up together in Scotland and how the grieving affected his life. Returning to Thailand many times after the disaster I think he is searching for some lost connection to his brother that never really comes, and is surprised yet I think that when someone dies you won't find that at the cemetery, or where they lived or died, you can only find that connection within yourself, when the sadness ebbs away.
A 4/5 - as it was a good reminder to be kind to your family and friends in your own life, as you never know when they will be gone.
October 3, 2012
i felt like i was sitting down with an old friend i haven't seen for a long time. it's easy to forget that you're actually reading a book. simon seems to be sitting opposite you, and be talking honestly and openly about what is in his heart. the rawness of what he says, the flashes of humour, the nostalgia of a golden childhood; they are all there, and they delicately paint the image of his brother and family. it's beautifully written, but i can sense an almost surgical precision as he writes. there's an essence to his brother that is present in what he conveys, but it's so painful and fragile that a clumsy word could crush the spirit he's trying to evoke. i think he succeeded wonderfully, and the reader is invited to "gather in his name" - and Dominic is there in spirit.
"I will never now exchange another word with the only soul that was built from the exact same pieces as mine."
"I will never now exchange another word with the only soul that was built from the exact same pieces as mine."
February 5, 2013
This book is joining Elizabeth McCracken's "An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination" as one of my favorite memoirs about the loss of a loved one. Stephenson's writing is deceptively simple: I suspect it takes tremendous skill to write in a way that comes across as so natural and intimate. He is also a master of plotting, taking a period of years that could have seemed meandering and unfolding the story in the most effective way. This is a powerful, haunting tribute not only to his beloved brother, but to the many thousands of other victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
July 19, 2011
Let Not the Waves of the Sea is Simon Stephenson's account of his emotional journey following the death of his brother Dominic - and his brother's girlfriend Eileen - in the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
August 2, 2011
Very sad but beautiful book about the long lasting effects of a tragedy on a family. Having now met the family at the Edinburgh Book Festival I can say what a remarkable family they are. I hope this is not his last book.
January 2, 2023
Oh my heart. My eyes are leaking now.
January 12, 2021
“The world changes when you lose somebody you love. Whether or not your loss begins with an earthquake, the planet tilts on its axis and remains there”.
I first heard of Simon’s story on an episode of Cariad Lloyds podcast the Griefcast.
Simon’s brother Dominic died at the tender age of 27 during the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
This memoir is obviously poignant and incredibly moving.
I can’t image much worse than waking up to the news of the disaster knowing full well your dearly beloved brother was out there and you couldn’t get hold of him.
What laid ahead was many days of trauma and confusion, the prospect of news and no news equally appalling.
Not only does Simon talk you through the journey the family had to take to find out what had happened to Dominic but it’s also about love and family and friendship.
With approximately 230,000 losing their lives in the disaster it’s almost impossible to comprehend what happened that day. This memoir is an extraordinary account and a wonderful tribute to Dominic ❤️
I first heard of Simon’s story on an episode of Cariad Lloyds podcast the Griefcast.
Simon’s brother Dominic died at the tender age of 27 during the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
This memoir is obviously poignant and incredibly moving.
I can’t image much worse than waking up to the news of the disaster knowing full well your dearly beloved brother was out there and you couldn’t get hold of him.
What laid ahead was many days of trauma and confusion, the prospect of news and no news equally appalling.
Not only does Simon talk you through the journey the family had to take to find out what had happened to Dominic but it’s also about love and family and friendship.
With approximately 230,000 losing their lives in the disaster it’s almost impossible to comprehend what happened that day. This memoir is an extraordinary account and a wonderful tribute to Dominic ❤️
March 3, 2026
4.5 stars out of 5
I wasn't expecting to cry reading a non-fiction book, but this one was pretty raw in places. There was a little humour mixed in, but it was mostly a journey through grief, both emotionally and physically, with the author detailing his travels to find out about how his brother died. Not exactly how, because he knows that, but about where it happened and about why. It's emotional and to a lesser extent factual, and I kept finding myself picking it up to read more - with a box of tissues close by, just in case.
I wasn't expecting to cry reading a non-fiction book, but this one was pretty raw in places. There was a little humour mixed in, but it was mostly a journey through grief, both emotionally and physically, with the author detailing his travels to find out about how his brother died. Not exactly how, because he knows that, but about where it happened and about why. It's emotional and to a lesser extent factual, and I kept finding myself picking it up to read more - with a box of tissues close by, just in case.
April 6, 2020
Amazing, full of love and emotion book!
This auto biography book touches your heart, how when you lose someone important to you, the world feels like they stopped for a moment and left you behind. I can feel the author's raw emotion in every words and I often feels like my heart squeezed too. This was such a new book for me, yet it leave a great impression in my heart. Deserve 5 stars and more recognition
This auto biography book touches your heart, how when you lose someone important to you, the world feels like they stopped for a moment and left you behind. I can feel the author's raw emotion in every words and I often feels like my heart squeezed too. This was such a new book for me, yet it leave a great impression in my heart. Deserve 5 stars and more recognition
June 6, 2023
Overlong imho. But a necessary catharsis for the author. A terrible personal tragedy, the loss of an adored older brother. There are heart-wrenching moments, fascinating tidbits about geology/ tsunami, but sometimes i flipped pages. If you love Thailand it’s also a bit of a love-letter to that country.
August 24, 2018
An emotional account of Simon dealing with his brother’s death in the 2004 Tsunami. An interesting read.
November 12, 2018
Beautifully written.
February 23, 2023
When starting out I didn't think think I would like book. I think it would be one I would re read through different points in my life
May 16, 2012
Written by the close frined of a friend. Very moving and very well written with all the more resonance knowing that my friend knows the author and sorely misses his brother. An amazingly assured first book.
July 15, 2011
Book of the Week:
On Ko Phi Phi, the world revolves around the reggae bar.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2013
Beautiful book.
March 21, 2013
I wept buckets over this
July 14, 2014
Best memoir I've read in ages.
February 7, 2016
Tsunami
Interesting tale of survivors and families of those who were lost in this dreadful disaster. A bit long winded at times
Interesting tale of survivors and families of those who were lost in this dreadful disaster. A bit long winded at times
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews