Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

3 reviews

_rowantree_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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jmcampbell57's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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beckyjc's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I saw this author speak alongside the author of How Much of These Hills is Gold at a literature festival last year and was really interested in what he had to say (he also liked one of my tweets so he's clearly a good guy...).  My high hopes were satisfied (as was the case with that other novel, too).

This is a really soulful book. It explores our relationship with nature, with our traditions and heritage, and how this is changing in the 21st century. I have never been to Hawai'i and had a limited knowledge of cultural traditions there before reading this book. I knew about ukulele and lei but nothing of the history and mythology of the islands and their people. This is kind of the point - Washburn wants to joyfully share the 'authentic' Hawai'i with us, the one beyond the surf bars and volcano treks for tourists, and I lapped it up. I enjoyed looking up some of the language and customs mentioned - especially as they hold such power (can't forget those ancient hula performances I watched on YouTube in a hurry). I always like learning things about another culture or country from novels, I find it really enriching.

There are elements of magical realism and fantasy woven through the story, as the family of characters grapples with the island's evocative ancestral history. I can sometimes find mystical aspects like this a bit jarring (try as I might, I just could not get swept away by One Hundred Years of Solitude...) but Washburn handles this smoothly, I think because his characters are both sceptical and dry-humoured, and open-minded to the spiritual forces they clearly experience. This is a family that feels very real in all its petty squabbles, tense dynamics, and gritty quest for survival, and this grounds the loftier elements of the plot. There is also a very visceral sense of the earth in the narrative. The beauty and danger of Mother Nature (Pele in this case), and the perils of losing our connection to her, are wrapped around the dialogue and action like a creeping vine. 

I have to say that I didn't believe Noa was actually dead for a long time after the scene of his fall. I kept thinking he must be coming back, surely it was leading there, especially as his gift had seemed to be getting more potent? I liked how my expectations were subverted there. I assumed we'd get a resurrection of sorts - and in a way we did, but via some of the other family members, who finally got their own individual moments of fulfilment.


This is an impressive debut novel and would definitely look out for more from him in future.

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