This is Paradise navigates an ocean of tension between tourists and islanders in paradisiacal, paradoxical Hawai''i." -Kristy Davis, O, The Oprah Magazine " sparkling debut story collection.A writer with one foot in the native Hawaiian community and the other in the mainland mainstream gives us an edgy, unmistakably authentic glimpse of the harder side of island life.
give us a picture of island life quite disturbing at the heart of things - the other side of paradise." -Alan Cheuse, All Things Considered "Gritty, haunting, and suspenseful. These are poignant stories of ''paradise''-Hawai''i-with all that ''paradise'' entails of the transience of sensuous beauty." -JOYCE CAROL OATES " This is Paradise gives us a raw view of local color in all of its perplexities and pleasures. "Vividly imagined, beautifully written, at times almost unbearably suspenseful-the stories in Kristiana Kahakauwila''s debut collection, This Is Paradise, are boldly inventive in their exploration of the tenuous nature of human relations. Exquisitely 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. "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. 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. 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.
0 kommentar(er)
