Book Review: Moloka`i

I mentioned in my review of Honolulu that I had been reading Alan Brennert's previous historical novel, Moloka`i. I finished it about a week ago, but have been distracted by the inclement weather here in Seattle as well as the usual holiday craziness.

Published in 2004, Moloka`i tells the story of a girl named Rachel who is diagnosed with Hansen's disease (then referred to as "leprosy") at age seven and send away to Kalaupapa, a peninsula-colony on the island of Moloka`i for quarantined patients and their caretakers.

As he did in Honolulu, Brennert quickly creates vivid back stories for each of the characters while staying closely connected to the psychology of Rachel. The novel spans decades, as Rachel grows to be a teen, a young woman, a wife, and even briefly a mother in a bittersweet chapter of her life. Being one of the settlement's healthier patients, Rachel outlives almost all those who become her family. This provided her with an oppressive amount of time to reflect. As her father was a seamen, Rachel held on to the constant dream of exploring the world -- the world outside Hansen's disease.

I found Moloka`i to be more painful to read at times, as its elegiac subject matter resonated emotions within, ranging from pure melancholy to utter rage at the injustices of the situation. Ultimately, I was a bit more affected emotionally by the story though I found Honolulu a bit more hopeful and inspiring.

In both cases, Brennert shows a clear talent for understanding women and their desires. Both his heroines were at once strong, struggling, unsure and nothing shy of human. Brennert also underlines certain themes in both novels, including ideas of entrapment, injustice and deferred gratification in the eye of mammoth obstacles.

I highly recommend reading both novels. This one brought me back to my own time on the ethereal island of Moloka`i. We were there just one week back in 2006, but it definitely struck me as having mana like no other place on Earth. With that comes a deep linger....