I picked up an advanced reader’s copy a few months ago since it was about Hawaii, seemed right up my alley. A trip in early 2020 to Japan meant I was only reading books about Japan so it sat collecting dust on the bookshelf despite its great cover.
Well hello covid and I wanted to read some fiction and saw it was getting some nice press. I don’t often read new books since the wait list is usually long at the library so it seemed a treat to read something that was published in March.
The book is a magical realism-lite story about a family from the Big Island who have to move to Oahu to try to make ends meet. The story alternates by having each chapter from all the family members.
It starts off with the young couple having a little alone time in the Waipi’o Valley while a relative babysits their first son Dean. They have an encounter with the Night Marchers (ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors) and get the heck out of there. 9 months later their second son Nainoa is born. When he is 7 he falls overboard into the ocean and sharks save him. That is when the family starts to think there is something special about him.
This book did not go in the direction I thought it would. Having the chapters of the 3 siblings I found the most interesting. I really liked when the daughter Kaui would talk about hula and mention the moves since I actually knew what she was talking about.
The author also touched upon how hard this family has to struggle for money. Really hit home when I read an article today about how Hawaii is the most expensive state to live in and their unemployment rate is going up and up since tourism makes up so much of their economy. So not the most uplifting book but still engrossing and very Hawaiian.
