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Page Modified: February 13, 2008

 

 

Alan Brennert

Moloka'i

· Description (From the Book Jacket) This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai’i 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).

· Review Quotes/Appeal Factors:

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Compellingly original...Brennert's compassion makes Rachel a memorable character, and his smooth storytelling vividly brings early 20th-century Hawaii to life. Leprosy may seem a macabre subject, but Brennert transforms the material into a touching, lovely account of a woman's journey as she rises above the limitations of a devastating illness.”

Washington Post

“A dazzling historical saga...a rare look at the rich history of a state most Americans think of largely in terms of tourism.”

Historical Novels Review

“Moloka’i is a bittersweet look at a topic that is rarely found in history books...an uplifting story that proves life is what you make of it. Highly recommended.”

Larry McMurtry

“A moving story...a vivid picture of Hawaii before it became the Touristland that it is today.”

Chicago Tribune

“Alan Brennert draws on historical accounts of Kalaupapa and weaves in traditional Hawaiian stories and customs...Moloka’i is the story of people who had much taken from them but also gained an unexpected new family and community in the process.”

Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek

“Moloka’i is a haunting story of tragedy in a Pacific Paradise. The book opens a window on a world of dazzling beauty, and ugly disease and fear, and the courage of a young woman in the Hawaii of a hundred years ago. It is a story of romance and humanity, and struggle with the pain of isolation, in a place faraway in time, yet very close in intimacy and vividness, and exact detail, giving us a sense of community and true kinship across time. It is a story of victory.”

National Geographic Traveler

“[An] absorbing novel...Brennert evokes the evolution of —and hardships on —Moloka’i in engaging prose that conveys a strong sense of place.”

Honolulu Star-Bulletin

“Moving and elegiac.”

· What is it about this book that would appeal to a reader?

A unique and exotic setting; a gripping narrative based on real-life events; and, as one reader posting on amazon.com put it, “the best part for me was that these were no longer characters in a book but people who I considered good friends, so vividly were they portrayed by the author.”

But don’t take my word for it, check out the five-star reader reviews at amazon!

· What other books are like it?

Without presuming to compare the quality of the books, readers who enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, or the works of Sandra Cisneros and Gail Tsukiyama, might appreciate the rich multicultural background and use of native mythology in Moloka’i.

· What does this work have in common with other works in the same genre? How is this work different?

Moloka’i, like many historical novels, has its basis in fact. It’s the result of a year’s meticulous research at the Hawai’i State Archives, the Hawai’i Medical Library, the Bishop Museum, and other institutions. Many of its characters were inspired by real-life patients, and a number of real figures in the history of Kalaupapa and Hawai’i also appear in the novel.

· What would you like readers to know about you/your work?

If you’re thinking to yourself, “Geez, a novel about a leper colony, how depressing is this?” —it may be occasionally heartbreaking, but it’s not depressing! This is a story of a woman who is dealt a tragic hand, but manages to live a full and rewarding life in spite of it. Rachel’s story has the same wide emotional range as any of our lives—sometimes joyful, sometimes sad—and that’s the whole point of the book.

· What’s next, what can readers look forward to in the future?

I’m researching my next novel, another historical about a seldom-explored aspect of American history.

· Suggested reading (viewing, listening) - what have you liked, disliked recently?

I’m attracted to somewhat off-trail historical or cultural subjects. Harriet Doerr’s marvelous novel Consider This, Senora partly inspired me to write Moloka’i. I loved Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. And Michael Cassutt’s novel Red Moon is a brilliant historical thriller told against the backdrop of the Russian space program in the 1960s.

· Links – author or publisher website, etc.

http://www.stmartins.com/smp/rgg.html

· Anything you’d like to ask readers? Please include email address so readers may contact you directly.

I always enjoy getting feedback about my work, and I’m happy to participate in phone interviews with book clubs. If you’d like to arrange a speakerphone chat, or if you’d just like to ask a question about Moloka’i, you can e-mail me at: alanbrennert@hotmail.com.

· Additional information:

Alan Brennert has written short stories, teleplays, screenplays, and a stage musical (Weird Romance, with music by Alan Menken). He won an Emmy Award in 1991 as a writer-producer for L.A. Law, and a Nebula Award for his short story “Ma Qui” in 1992. He lives in Southern California, but his heart is in Hawai’i.

 

 

· Bibliographic citation:
· Author: Alan Brennert
· Title: Moloka'i
· Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

· Publication Date: October 4, 2004
· ISBN: 0312304358
· $ $13.95 ($19.95 Can)
· # pages: 389
· Genre: Historical Fiction

 

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