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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Washburn plays with the hero/savior trope in fascinating ways. Honestly Marlon James reviewed this book better than I could say it - "Old myths clash with new realities, love is in a ride or die with grief, faith rubs hard against magic, and comic flips with tragic so much they meld into something new. All told with daredevil lyricism to burn." I really loved all of the POV characters, and they had such distinct voices and narration styles. Malia was my least favorite narrator, but her sections were still good.
What an astonishing debut! Partway into this book, I was already looking forward to reading it again. The last author that did that to me was Toni Morrison.
So steeped in the spirit of Hawaii and the complexities of family; of legend and spirit and grief and triumph. Strong mixes poetry into every paragraph, without weighing it down with verbiage. His description of the hula gave it life.
He never needs to write another word but I sincerely hope he does.
So steeped in the spirit of Hawaii and the complexities of family; of legend and spirit and grief and triumph. Strong mixes poetry into every paragraph, without weighing it down with verbiage. His description of the hula gave it life.
He never needs to write another word but I sincerely hope he does.
7 year old Nainoa Flores is gently carried back to the boat he has fallen from in the teeth of a shark. The shark holding him as if made from glass, like he was its child, head up out of the water like a dog. Later Noa will heal a boy's hand torn apart from a firework mishap.
There is magic at work here, the old gods of the island working through this golden boy. But Washburn can't let the story tumble along without dropping ominous portents, foreshadowing some grim future. Meanwhile Noa's two siblings, who interchange chapters tell their story. Of being eclipsed by their brother, or worse being plied for information about how he's doing. How it feels like they are being muscled out of the spotlight of their parents affections and how it sits like a heavy weight with them both. It's this dark cloud rumbling ever present in the distance and it hangs heavy over the story. And then it really starts to pour.
I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize I was reading an indigenous story, of the generational trauma of the colonized. How it breaks them and calls them home all the same. But man, just out of the teeth of winter and this was such a grey tale that just sat hard and heavy on the heart.
There is magic at work here, the old gods of the island working through this golden boy. But Washburn can't let the story tumble along without dropping ominous portents, foreshadowing some grim future. Meanwhile Noa's two siblings, who interchange chapters tell their story. Of being eclipsed by their brother, or worse being plied for information about how he's doing. How it feels like they are being muscled out of the spotlight of their parents affections and how it sits like a heavy weight with them both. It's this dark cloud rumbling ever present in the distance and it hangs heavy over the story. And then it really starts to pour.
I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to realize I was reading an indigenous story, of the generational trauma of the colonized. How it breaks them and calls them home all the same. But man, just out of the teeth of winter and this was such a grey tale that just sat hard and heavy on the heart.
As a child, Nainoa is saved by sharks after nearly drowning. Afterwards, he discovers that he has the power to heal. This is (for the most part) the extent of the "magical" in this novel that is billed as magical realism. Most of this novel is about the ways Noah's family deals with/understands his abilities (especially his siblings, who can't help but feel that they're being overshadowed by their brother's gift). Because so much of this novel feels like a character study, it's a bit slow in parts. That being said, it's a moving exploration of family, loss, colonization, and interdependence. It is also (for the most part) beautifully written.
This is such an interesting concept, but I wish we had more from Nainoa's point of view.
A bit of magical realism, an immersion into Hawaiian culture and a sudden change in direction of the plot that I did not see coming. Pretty good overall. There were some times when I felt it was too slow but mostly it was interesting.
This book was beautiful and heartbreaking. I loved it so much. I wrote a long page of notes about everything I enjoyed. Books about family connection and home always get me especially when there’s a struggle between wanting to be an individual and find your own way in a tight knit family. The magical realism wasn’t overbearing and didn’t take away from the characters and their storylines.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So beautifully written and so heart-breaking. I wasn't quite satisfied with the closure at the end, but that might just be my shortcoming. I loved every word in this book and every character. I listened to the audiobook and the voices really brought the book to life. Highly recommended. Now I want to read Hawaii by James Michener to learn more about Hawaii and to recapture that spirit of the islands that pervades this novel, for good and bad.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated