A good story and makes the first-person-plural narration feel less gimmicky than usual. It features a young tourist who gets into deadly trouble, but it’s narrated in the collective “we” by three groups of local women: young surfers, cleaning ladies who have immigrated from other Pacific islands, and young professionals shaping up to be community leaders. “This is Paradise”: The first story is perhaps meant to draw non-Hawaiian readers in by being the only one to put tourism front and center. The stories are well-written, diverse, flow smoothly and are generally a pleasure to read. It’s set in Hawai’i and focuses on native Hawaiians in the modern day, with most of the characters either involved in keeping livestock or having lives split between Hawai’i and the mainland.
This is quite a good short story collection, consisting of six stories mostly around 40 pages long, though the pages turn quickly. With striking versatility, the title story employs a chorus of voices-the women of Waikiki-to tell the tale of a young tourist drawn to the darker side of the city’s nightlife. “The Old Paniolo Way” limns the difficult nature of legacy and inheritance when a patriarch tries to settle the affairs of his farm before his death.Įxquisitely written and bursting with sharply observed detail, Kahakauwila’s stories remind us of the powerful desire to belong, to put down roots, and to have a place to call home. In the gut-punch of “Wanle,” a beautiful and tough young woman wants nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps as a legendary cockfighter. Exploring the deep tensions between local and tourist, tradition and expectation, façade and authentic self, This Is Paradise provides an unforgettable portrait of life as it’s truly being lived on Maui, Oahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island. In a stunning collection that announces the arrival of an incredible talent, Kristiana Kahakauwila travels the islands of Hawai'i, making the fabled place her own. Elegant, brutal, and profound, this magnificent debut captures the grit and glory of modern Hawai'i with breathtaking force and accuracy.
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