Jasmin Iolani Hakes

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher of HarperCollins, and the author Jasmin Iolani Hakes for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Iolani manages to weave in-between historical events and the personal and how they intersect with one another. Iolani's usage of historical events contextualizes the reader's understanding of Hawaii and the lives of the character. Iolani shows a thorough historical understanding to the reader. Besides the historical context, Iolani crafts a family saga between Laka, Hi'i, and later Hi'i's daughters. Iolani creates a pathos between Laka and Hi'i's relationship. In general, the mother and daughter relationships stand out as the strongest within the novel. If nothing else, the work is a testatement to the relationships between women, mother and daughters, and Hawaii. Even while Iolani's focus is on women and mothers and daughters, Iolani's characterization of men, fathers, and male partners is still worth mentioning. I enjoyed reading Iolani's usage of pidgin and the fact that the novel doesn't provide a glossary either. A glossary could be present in the final copy edition, but I sincerely hope that it doesn't. This is also the first Native/Indigenous Hawaiian novel that I've read. While there's non-fiction Native/Indigenous Hawaiian work that I'm familiar with, stories and fiction remain important. Fiction and books as a form have advantages over non-fiction and can introduce readers to perspectives they otherwise would be ignorant of. Iolani engages in the family saga form and elliptical storytelling and time period skip. While sometimes effective and necessary, I wondered if the form should have remained more focused at certain time periods than others and if spending more time in those time periods would have fleshed out the plot and characters more.… (altro)

A lot of things that make Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes interesting also make it a challenging read — the Hawaiian language and speech used throughout the story, the change in POV, and the back-and-forth timeline. Hakes explores the women of the Naupaka family through multiple generations and their connection to their homeland and each other through hula. At times she also moves from the narrative into a third-person omniscient point of view to give historical notes and perspectives. Overall, a well-written novel for readers who enjoy multi-generational stories and want to learn about Hawaii.… (altro)