The Guest in Room 120
This compelling blend of historical fact and fiction centres on the death of Jane Stanford, of Stanford University renown. Ackerman’s story is set in 1905 and one hundred years later, spotlighting a short time in three women’s stories. In 2005, Zoe Finch is an author with one successful romance under her belt, but now suffering from writer’s block. In 1905, Jane Stanford is struggling with her mental and physical health, and in the same time strand ‘Iliahi Baldwin, a Hawaiian girl, becomes a maid at a new beachfront hotel. This is familiar ground for Ackerman, and her knowledge and love of Hawaii sparkles through her storytelling.
Zoe needs inspiration and believes a change of scene might reignite her imagination for a second best-seller. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she signs up for a writer’s conference at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki. Meanwhile, ‘Iliahi’s life is precarious in 1905, as she has to raise and support her two younger brothers on a maid’s meagre income, after her mother is diagnosed with an incurable illness. Jane Stanford experiences a frightening event in California, so she removes herself from the world by taking only her most trusted staff to the Moana. All three stories hold equal merit, so it is important that the author braids them together in a convincing way, placing each of her protagonists at the Moana, and she does just that.
This is a poignant tale of pain and suffering, juxtaposed against a lush and verdant backdrop. The author’s exploration of the mystery is especially interesting because her novel goes a step further. The research is sound; the settings are as jaw-dropping as one might expect as readers are transported to Waikiki’s warm sands, turquoise seas and azure skies. For romance lovers there’s a slow-burn interplay. A very enjoyable read.
