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The Hawaiian archipelago consists of 137 islands with over 700 miles of coastline and eight main islands, seven of which are inhabited. Hawaii has a long and colorful history, from the first human settlements through Polynesia to its current status as the 50th U.S. state. Hawaii is believed to have been first settled sometime around 1000 A.D., and over the following centuries, independent chiefdoms developed on various islands, along with population growth and a spiritual, social, and economic culture centered around connection to the land, sea, and sky. The first documented contact with Europeans occurred in 1778 with the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook, leading to conflict between European nations and the United States over access to the islands. These interactions also brought with them new diseases, and by the mid-19th century, over half of the native Hawaiian population had been wiped out.
Immigration from China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines also contributed to the diversity of the population, as laborers came to work on the sugar and pineapple plantations, many of which were operated by U.S.-funded special interests. This growing U.S. economic and political influence in Hawaii led to forced reforms that disenfranchised many Native Hawaiians and took power from the Hawaiian monarch. In 1893, the last monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani, was forced to surrender to the United States annexation of Hawaii to prevent an attack by U.S. forces. Today, Hawaii holds a unique place in history and the literary imagination, with writers producing historical novels that range from the country’s earliest days through the tumult of the attack on Pearl Harbor and into the postwar years. The following novels will give you a glimpse into the history and people of this complex place.
Hula by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes
Hula combines a historical family saga with the coming-of-age story of Hi’i, a Hilo teenager who slowly begins to realize how many unspoken things there are in her family and community. She is proud to be part of the Naupaka, who are known for their contributions to hula, but she has never met her grandmother and her mother refuses to reveal her father’s identity. As Hi’i tries to assert her place in the family line by entering the Miss Aloha Hula pageant, she learns more about the fractures in her crisis-ridden community and how these secrets connect to her own family history.
Molokai by OA Bushnell
Bushnell is a Honolulu-born writer who spent much of his career teaching medical microbiology and medical history at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He also developed a renowned career as one of the first Hawai’i-born novelists of the 20th century to gain widespread recognition for his work. In Hawaii, Bushnell tells the story of the Kalaupapa leper colony, where those suffering from the disease were left to die, from the perspective of several characters. Bushnell’s ability to combine his knowledge of Hawaiian history and medicine with his vivid characterization makes the book a worthwhile read.
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
This is another book that explores the tragic story of Kalaupapa, this time from the perspective of Rachel Kalama, a young Hawaiian girl in the 1890s who dreams of traveling the world like her father. However, when leprosy breaks out on Rachel’s skin, she is sent to a quarantine station in the leper colony, where she is cut off from her family and the rest of society. Brennert’s novel fictionally tells the stories of those sent to the colony and how they dealt with the isolation and fear of death.
The Picture Bride by Lee Geum-yi, translated by An Seonjae
The Picture Brideoriginally published in Korean, is a glimpse into one of the many immigration stories that shape modern Hawaii. When Willow agrees to leave Korea to marry a Korean laborer in Hawaii, she is promised that her husband will be a successful man who will enable her to continue her education. Instead, she finds a cruel man and desperate circumstances on the island she must now call home. The novel explores both Hawaii in the post-World War I era and the specific experiences of Korean immigrants in Hawaii.
Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport
Davenport was born in Honolulu and is known for her epic Hawaiian family saga, which began with a romance between a New England sailor and a Tahitian princess. At the opening of Shark DialoguesIt’s 1994, and matriarch Pono has summoned her grown, semi-estranged granddaughters to the old Big Island coffee plantation where she lives. From there, the novel goes back in time to the love affair that began the family’s story, and moves through major events in Hawaiian history, from the overthrow of the monarchy to World War I, tackling themes of family and loyalty.
Song of Exile by Kiana Davenport
In addition to Shark DialoguesDavenport has written numerous other novels and short stories that revolve around themes of family and Hawaiian history. Song of Exile begins in the 1930s and describes life in Hawaii before and during World War II, as well as the postwar years and the transition to American statehood. from the perspective of their characters.
Kona Winds by Scott Kikkawa
If you like novels that combine historical fiction and crime fiction, you should definitely check out the works of Scott Kikkawa. Set in 1953, Kikkawa’s story follows Detective Sergeant Frankie “The Sheik” Yoshikawa, a World War II veteran now with the Honolulu Police Department, who is assigned to investigate the murder of a Japanese woman found in Honolulu Harbor. This noir crime novel examines the lives of people in post-war Hawaii and the impact of war, race, and class on Detective Sergeant Yoshikawa.
Red Skies over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman
Ackerman has written several historical novels set in Hawaii, including this story of life on the Big Island after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Lana Hitchcock has just returned to Hawaii, but it’s too late to reconnect with her estranged father, and now she’s trying to unravel the mysteries of his inheritance, including a remote rainforest estate bequeathed to her. When the government begins rounding up suspected Axis sympathizers, Lana hides out on the rainforest property with two German girls, a Japanese fisherman, and his son. But with a prison camp being built nearby, they’re in constant danger of being discovered.
Middle son of Deborah Iida
Spencer Fujii has returned to his home in Hawaii to accompany his mother in her final days. As he reflects on his life, from his grandparents’ arrival from Japan 50 years ago to his own experiences with family, war and loss, Iida tells a story about tradition, family, childhood and the experience of Japanese Americans in Hawaii.
The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama
Daniel Abe, a young man working as a doctor in Chicago, has returned to his Hawaiian hometown when the Mauna Loa volcano erupts. As the volcano begins to threaten his family home, Daniel begins to unravel the story of his uncle Koji, who mourns the past, and his mother Mariko, who Koji loved and longed for. The story moves in time and space against the backdrop of the eruption and the tensions it brings to the surface.
Looking for more books set in the Hawaiian Islands? Check out this summary and our Hawaii archives.
