This book absolutely gutted me. I’m a shell of a human being. I am unwell. 

This book hits close to home having family ties on the island of Molokai. I was excited to see what this book had in store but was not prepared for how emotional and raw its storytelling was. Rachel’s connections were so artfully crafted that they felt very much like my own, and so when she grieved I definitely grieved. 

The author also did a very good job painting this story against the backdrop of many historical atrocities committed by America and the rest of the world on Hawaii and showed how they affected the settlement of Kalaupapa.

I love this book a lot actually, the only reason I couldn’t give it a full 5 stars is the fact that the Hawaiian translations of phrases were introduced in very clunky ways that were never consistent and it really bothered me. I think I’m just one to believe that not everything needs to be translated. If they were, it would have perhaps benefited from a glossary at the end instead.