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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i finished this a few hours ago and already forgot most of it
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My first read for the 2020 Tournament of Books (ToB) Summer Camp competition. I gave the preview of first entrant, N.K. Jemisin's 'The City We Became,' a shot but just could not connect with it, so I moved onto 'Sharks' which I had much more confidence about it as it had been on my TBR radar and a decent amount of positive buzz from my fellow ToB-ers. Unfortunately, as you can see, this one did not quite work out for me either (which seems to be *the* personal trend for me in this struggle of a year we call 2020).
I give Washburn's debut high marks for creativity and uniqueness. Having been to the islands several times, I really loved the Hawaiian local/cultural aspect of the novel. Hawaii is indeed a special and magical place. Additionally, I give Washburn credit for a pretty bold narrative move (which I will keep spoiler-free) at about the halfway point. I thought for sure it would resolve itself quite predictably - but alas not, which was a nice surprise.
But other than that, the rest of it felt kind of ordinary to me -- just a typical and meandering family drama with characters I didn't feel particularly connected to -- with diminishing lost interest after that halfway point (which may have been the point!). I felt the cultural/spiritual magical realism aspects of the novel could have worked for me, but most of the time again it was a missed connection. It made me wonder if this was one of those potentially "right" books at the "wrong" time. Maybe... tho probably not as my criticisms feel like they are beyond a funky mood.
Sadly, this one just notches a smidgen beyond "okay" -- so let's say an unofficial 2.5 stars with a Goodreads goodwill round-up to 3 stars.
Magical realism, a native Hawaiian family, Hawaii, family drama, and lyrical writing. Big yes.
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It took me a little while to get into the style of writing, but once I did I enjoyed this book very much. For fans of magical realism and stories about family.