A Novel That Leaves No Regrets

Alan Brennert has returned with another superb historical novel about Hawaii, this one titled Honolulu. The novel begins in Korea where daughters are not appreciated, and are given names like Anger, Pity, Sorrow, and Regret. Regret becomes a picture bride who leaves a bleak future in Korea in the hopes of a better life in the paradise of Hawaii. She arrives in Hawaii in 1914 and is married to the man who paid for her. The struggle to build a life together on the pineapple plantation ends when he begins to beat her. Regret flees to Honolulu, changes her name to Jin, is taken in by a wise cracking prostitute, and learns how to make her way in the bustling island city. History provides an panoramic backdrop of racial intolerance, Spanish Flu, the Depression, and World War II.

I had a hard time putting this book down. The characters were all so beautifully developed that it felt like saying farewell to friends when the novel finished. Make sure to read this intriguing history of Honolulu, and the Hawaiians, Koreans, Japanese, and Americans who built it. You won't regret it.