Reading the Waves
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Lidia Yuknavitch |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Riverhead Books |
| Publication date | February 4, 2025 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Award | Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction (2026) |
| ISBN | 978-0-593-71305-1 |
Reading the Waves: A Memoir is a 2025 memoir by American writer Lidia Yuknavitch.[1] The book won the 2026 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.
Summary
Reading the Waves consists of several vignettes about Yuknavitch's life written in non-chronological order, beginning with the sentiment that " memory is iterative and remembering is an act of storytelling".[2] Yuknavitch explores the following questions: "When we revisit memories and retell our stories, how does it change us and the stories of our identities? How can memory be unreliable, particularly in the face of trauma, and how does revisiting, rediscovering, affect us?"[3]
Vignettes discuss various subjects, including her complicated relationships with her parents, including her abusive father, both of whom are now dead; her daughter's death as a toddler; sexual relationships; her ex-husband's death by suicide; two separate murders of women she knew; and more.
Style
Reading the Waves consists of "lyrical, short story–like chapters", with a style compared to the works of Virginia Woolf and Toni Morrison.[4] The memoir includes wordplay, which Booklist's Leah von Essen noted "can feel indulgent".[3] Alternatively, Publishers Weekly stated that the "moody, evocative prose [...] never tilts into preciousness".[4]
Themes
Reading the Waves explores themes related to memory, trauma, healing,[3] feminism, self-discovery,[4] homophobia, and ableism.[2]
Reception
Reading the Waves received starred reviews from Booklist,[3] Library Journal,[5] Publishers Weekly.[4] Booklist's Leah von Essen described Reading the Waves as "remarkable", "twisting", and "at turns emotional and darkly hilarious",[3] while Publishers Weekly referred to it as a "stunning, genre-bending self-portrait".[4]
Reviewers generally appreciated how the work serves as a meditation on memory, particularly given that some of the memories shared in Reading the Waves were also featured in Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir, The Chronology of Water, though Yuknavitch's perspective on the events as changed with time.[6][7][8] According to Anita Felicelli, writing for Alta Online, "Sometimes the observations can be New Age aphoristic, coming off a bit teacherly [...] as Yuknavitch tells us how to understand her viewpoint without allowing for the ambiguity and engagement of dramatic scenes";[8] despite this, Felicelli generally reviewed the memoir positively.[8]
Reading the Waves won the 2026 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Nonfiction.[9]
References
- ↑ Dore, Asha (August 26, 2025). "Nonfiction Review: Asha Dore on Lidia Yuknavitch's Memoir Reading the Waves". Heavy Feather Review. Archived from the original on June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- 1 2 Ellis, Danika (January 31, 2025). "Memory as Storytelling: Reading the Waves by Lidia Yuknavitch Review". Lesbrary. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 von Essen, Leah (December 1, 2024). "Reading the Waves". Booklist. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Reading the Waves: A Memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch". Publishers Weekly. March 3, 2025. Archived from the original on June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Bowles, Emily (January 1, 2025). "Reading the Waves: A Memoir". Library Journal. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Reading the Waves". Kirkus Reviews. November 9, 2024. Archived from the original on June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Piehl, Norah (March 1, 2025). "Reading the Waves: A Memoir". BookReporter. Archived from the original on June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Felicelli, Anita (January 27, 2025). "Desire, Loss, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves". Alta Online. Archived from the original on June 17, 2026. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Schaub, Michael (June 15, 2026). "Winners of the 2026 Lambda Awards Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 16, 2026.