Moloka'i
This richly imagined novel, set in Hawaii more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place---and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.
Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end---but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.
With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, Moloka'i is the true-to-life chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face of death. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel that "few readers will remain unchanged by Rachel's story" (mostlyfiction.com).
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Moloka'i Reviews
I just wish he could have done more. Moloka'i is certainly an interesting and engaging novel, but Brennert fails to draw enough of an emotional connection to Rachel. Moloka'i is an interesting novel about a young Hawaiian leper, Rachel, banished, as it were, to a Kalaupapa, a quarantined colony on Moloka'I, at the turn of the last century, when leprosy was a relatively misunderstood disease. Rachel's entire life is encompassed in this novel, yet the focus is disproportionately on her earlier years, where as a young child, the depth of her emotions is left unexplored. As she grows older, when her emotions could truly come into play, Brennert leapfrogs from event to event in Rachel's life and awkwardly ties the World War II Japanese camps to Kalaupapa. The notion of the colony is fascinating and the devastation one instance of leprosy can do to one young woman and her family is rife with possibilities. I felt almost as if Brennert began the novel with the intent of crafting a sweeping saga, but that he somehow lost steam halfway through and began to take narrative shortcuts. Unfortunately, the novel tries to accomplish too much while not doing enough.
This book is definitely in my top ten all time favorites. A heart warming, compelling read that will make you laugh and cry.
Originally reviewed for Guilty Pleasures at Uniquely Pleasurable. Brennert's prose is also quiet. For the most part, Brennert avoids this masterfully. It is all woven beautifully into the prose, amazing considering the historical events depicted: the death of a King, the overthrow of a Monarchy, the advent of radio and electricity, the dawning of statehood, the bombing of a harbor. Almost never does any information feel unnecessary or forced, an author showing off his research abilities. We are given the joys she experiences, as well as the lows, and as we live Rachel's life right along with her, we feel almost privileged to have met these remarkable people and shared in their indomitable spirit, if only for a brief time.
But this is a minor quibble. Memorable characters, memorable lives lived with dignity. One of the potential pitfalls for any piece of historical fiction is info-dumping, throwing historical facts in to give the proper perspective. While Rachel's story is fictional, Brennert acknowledges that some of the characters in the novel were loosely based upon people who had actually lived at Kalaupapa. Brennert did his research and was wise enough to know that the story was compelling enoughit didn't need to be "ratcheted up"to have an emotional impact upon the reader and to do justice to the thousands who lived and died at Kalawao and Kalaupapa. If I have any nit-picking to do with respect to this story, it is that, at times, the dialog feels almost too contemporary, more 21st century than late 19th. In the end, Brennert creates a moving story and one of the most memorable heroines I have ever met, a young girl who blossoms into womanhood and manages to live a remarkable life.
While at first glance the Mahu character might teeter on stereotype, Brennert creates a very full character that overcomes the stereotypes. I am very glad, however, that I did read Brennert's amazing novel as it gives a far more accurate portrayal of the time and the place and the people than Tayman's book ever could. The result is deeply affecting and rich characters, and a portrait of a people who took the worst of times and lived quiet, dignified lives a world away from their families and friends who seemed to have forgotten them. It is a sweeping piece of historical fiction and an emotional (but never manipulative) journey of seven-year-old Rachel Kalama who, after being diagnosed in the late 1800s, is sent to Kalawao/Kalaupapa, the site on Moloka'i which served as a leper colony from 1866 until 1969.
Unlike Tayman (whose non-fiction account has been decried by scholars and the remaining residents of Kalaupapa themselves), Brennert does not feel the need to sensationalize the historical facts to tell his story. He captures the idyllic setting and peoples it with human beings full of faults and foibles and courage. When handled ineptly, passages of books can begin to feel like history lessons forced upon the reader. Brennert wisely creates composite characters, taking bits and pieces from the historical records and correspondence of the time. We get to see our heroine Rachel grow up, fall in love, marry, as well as grieve the friends (and family) who come and go out of her life throughout the decades.
It all fits. One of the pieces I am grateful that Brennert worked in was the presence of the Mahu, the gay Hawaiians who lived and breathed and were likely committed to Kalaupapa. Simply, he creates a realism that never dares cross into exoticism of Hawai'i or of its people, but still manages to depict environ most have never experienced. I couldn't ask for more in a piece of historical fiction. After having read the exploitative and shameful "non-fiction" work "The Colony," by John Tayman, I was a bit leery of Alan Brennert's "Moloka'i," a wholly fictional account of the one-time leper colony on the Kalaupapa Peninsula of Moloka'i.
The breadth and beauty of this novel cannot be understated, and the fact that Brennert takes a difficult period of Hawaiian history and the topic of leprosy that some might find horrific and creates a life-affirming story of love and perseverance without ever venturing into maudlin sentimentality is something to be lauded.
This will be one of the few books that I will read again. I learned from him that he was a writer on one of my favorite shows-LA Law. I can not wait for his next book Honolulu to come out. A friend lent it to me last year when she found out that we were spending one of our 3 weeks in Hawaii on Molokai. You will love this book. I could not put this book down.
He was very congenial. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I contacted the author because I was so moved by his book. Alan Brennert does a masterful job of character development within a flawless historically executed timeline. I sent him a few photos of the Kalapaupa penninsula. This book makes you feel like you are experiencing the characters lives.
I have travelled to Molokai and seen the colony years ago, but this really made me feel I was there again and understood what was going on in such a beautiful mystic place. I don't remember crying so many times whilst reading a fiction story, yet so amazing I could not put it down. One of the most captivating stories I have read in years. Well done.
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