senyas 's review for:

This Is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila

4.0

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4/5 stars. a poignant read timed right after my own visit to maui and the big island, which made these stories paint an even more vivid picture of hawaii. the last two stories tugged at my heartstrings the most, although my critique would be that perhaps this book wasn't intended for someone with limited knowledge of the islands--although they added character, i found myself having to google quite a lot of terms, and a translation of the pidgin would have been appreciated. nevertheless, this was an enjoyable exploration into the sides of hawaii that aren't usually shown to tourists or even outsiders, and left a bittersweet aftertaste that i thoroughly enjoyed.