Honolulu

This novel by Alan Brennert is a wonderful read in between heavier works. I found the story very interesting with a lot of historical fiction. This novel informs the reader about: how "Pidgin English" came about, how the term being "a local" started, and how these locals became third-class citizens.

The story begins in Japanese controlled Korea in the early 1900s. A daughter to the Pak family is born with the name Regret, because she wasn't a boy. A female born in Korea was not afforded a last name, education, or respect. As a matter of fact, she was really a slave to her father and the entire male household. Regret spent her childhood rebelling to the Korean ways. Disobeying her father, she secretly learned to read. Women were confined to the inner rooms to sew and cook, and allowed to enter the outer rooms only to serve meals to male family members. The father arranged his daughters marriage, where she would become a slave to a new family, including all of the clan's female in-laws. I could imagine that this is still that way in North Korea considering how backwards that country is.

Regret gets out of Korea by becoming a "Picture Bride" to a Korean living in Hawaii. She is joined in this venture by four other Korean brides to be. They were told that these gentleman were handsome, young, and rich. Well, as you can imagine, when they arrived in Hawaii, the men were ugly, old, and poor. This starts their stormy adventure in Hawaii.

The story then follows the lives of Regret, now Jin, and her four other picture bride friends: Sunny, Beauty, Jade Moon, and Wise Pearl. They go through many trials and tribulations from about 1900 to 1957. What a life it must have been living on sugar plantations, working in pineapple factories, then living amongst the prostitutes of Hotel Street. We also meet the real Charlie Chan and Sadie Thompson! Even the legendary Duke Kahanamoku makes a appearance in this wonderful story. My suggestion is grab a copy of this book and enjoy! I plan on reading Brennert's Moloka'i in the very near future.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars

Comment: Mr. Brennert is more widely known as a television writer and producer, winning a Emmy Award for L.A. Law in 1991. He also writes a lot of science fiction and fantasy short stories. Alan lives in Southern California, but is a frequent visitor to the Hawaiian Islands. Everybody should be a frequent visitor. I know I am!