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A review by alundeberg
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
4.0
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?"
Matthew King, the protagonist of Kaui Hart Hemmings novel "The Descendants" reminds me of these Talking Heads' lyrics. After his brash, independent, and complex wife Joanie ends up in a coma from a boating accident, Matt finds himself having to face fatherhood, widowhood, the prospect that Joanie was having an affair, and he is very much wondering just how he got there. Used to coasting and hiding behind his work, he realizes the impact of his absence on his two daughters, 17-year old Alex and 10-year old Scottie, and now has to step into the role as a parent in a time of grief and uncertainty with Alex's sort-of boyfriend Sid in tow. To say he is bewildered is an understatement. Trying to find answers and provide comfort, he is often struck by how ridiculous life and people are.
This is a funny, wry, at times heartbreaking and fearless novel that pushes to the edge of the absurd, but never teeters over. Hemmings explores grief and loss and what it means to love someone. She also explores what it means to be a descendant-- how one is shaped and scarred by the past. Matt is a descendant of a Hawaiian princess and white missionary and has inherited a large swath of Hawaiian land that remains undeveloped. How does he honor this legacy and its future? His daughters are descended from Joanie, and he learns how they contort themselves to be worthy of and free of her. It is also about being present in one own's life. Matt's safety behind his work and the status quo has harmful consequences for his daughters who have a mother that neither can live up to, and in fits and starts, he learns to take responsibility for his descendants, too.
Hemmings based this novel on one of her short stories, and while it is a slim 283 pages, she should have emphasized the "short" part. She carries it all the way to closure and it felt too long and the ending too neat. It reaches too far to hammer home points that are implied throughout the book, and it could have safely ended on page 271, or 277 at the very least. It would have been a stronger book had it had a more ambiguous ending that let us wonder at where they found themselves.
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?"
Matthew King, the protagonist of Kaui Hart Hemmings novel "The Descendants" reminds me of these Talking Heads' lyrics. After his brash, independent, and complex wife Joanie ends up in a coma from a boating accident, Matt finds himself having to face fatherhood, widowhood, the prospect that Joanie was having an affair, and he is very much wondering just how he got there. Used to coasting and hiding behind his work, he realizes the impact of his absence on his two daughters, 17-year old Alex and 10-year old Scottie, and now has to step into the role as a parent in a time of grief and uncertainty with Alex's sort-of boyfriend Sid in tow. To say he is bewildered is an understatement. Trying to find answers and provide comfort, he is often struck by how ridiculous life and people are.
This is a funny, wry, at times heartbreaking and fearless novel that pushes to the edge of the absurd, but never teeters over. Hemmings explores grief and loss and what it means to love someone. She also explores what it means to be a descendant-- how one is shaped and scarred by the past. Matt is a descendant of a Hawaiian princess and white missionary and has inherited a large swath of Hawaiian land that remains undeveloped. How does he honor this legacy and its future? His daughters are descended from Joanie, and he learns how they contort themselves to be worthy of and free of her. It is also about being present in one own's life. Matt's safety behind his work and the status quo has harmful consequences for his daughters who have a mother that neither can live up to, and in fits and starts, he learns to take responsibility for his descendants, too.
Hemmings based this novel on one of her short stories, and while it is a slim 283 pages, she should have emphasized the "short" part. She carries it all the way to closure and it felt too long and the ending too neat. It reaches too far to hammer home points that are implied throughout the book, and it could have safely ended on page 271, or 277 at the very least. It would have been a stronger book had it had a more ambiguous ending that let us wonder at where they found themselves.