The Pohaku
For generations, the women of a Hawaiian family have been entrusted with safekeeping the pōhaku, a sacred stone with profound mystical powers. Now, in 1992, a troubled young woman lies comatose in the hospital while her estranged grandmother visits her daily, talking to the unresponsive woman as she reveals an incredible family saga. The young woman had no knowledge of the pōhaku or the history of the long line of women whohave been its protectors. Her grandmother tries desperately to somehow break through her coma and impart that knowledge to her since the young woman is the last of her lineage and the sacred stone has disappeared.
The grandmother’s story begins with the mythological creation of the pōhaku and the 18th-century arrival of explorer James Cook in the Hawaiian Islands; Cook had heard tales of the stone and believed it was the key to unlocking the world’s mysteries. The story moves from Hawaii to California and beyond, following the travails of the women protectors of the stone.
The novel reveals fascinating history about the 19th-century Hawaiians who came to what was then Alta California with James Sutter and helped him establish a colony until the discovery of gold prompted the United States to seize the territory and rename it California. The historical journey eventually winds back to Hawaii and recounts the coup against the Hawaiian kingdom and its annexation by the US.
This is an interesting novel about some little-known history, but it is also an important look at imperialism and cultural displacement.
