Here's the back story of how I happened upon this book. My former nursing instructor and I have been sharing books since I was in school. She loaned this to me after reading it while she was on vacation. I had seen the book at the bookstore but never picked it up. Like I said, I'm a sucker for covers and this one just didn't talk to me. The blurb on the back of the book didn't really catch my attention either but since it was on loan I figured I'd do my best. A month or so later and I'm finally done with it.
The story was about a young Hawaiian girl, Rachel, who in the early 20th century was diagnosed with Hansen's Disease (a.k.a. Leprosy) and was sent to a quarantine establishment on the island of Moloka'i. The novel follows Rachel as she grows up and deals with loss, love and leprosy...
It wasn't a bad book it just droned on for what seemed like forever. The story was interesting enough and I really liked the main character but I felt myself aging with each page I read. I do have to give the author a great deal of credit for creating a likeable main character who is able to keep the same foundational personality characteristics as she ages in the book.
What really drove me a little pupule (crazy) was that the author kept throwing in random Hawaiian words in the story as if you were learning a new language. Don't get me wrong, learning something new is the whole point of reading but if I wanted to learn a new language, I'd pick up a copy of the Rosetta Stone. I'm the type of reader that process information quickly but if you throw in an italicized word that looks weird, my brain has to stop and sniff it, poke it a little and lick it before it will be processed. This is why it took me over a month to finish a book that I normally would have within a few days.
My former instructor has told me she's finished Honolulu, another novel by Alan Brennert. I might take a pass on it for now...
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