THIS IS PARADISE

In six poignant and elegant stories, told in a classical style reminiscent of the tales of Pushkin or Chekhov, and set against the beguiling background of the Hawaiian Islands, THIS IS PARADISE explores the predicament of people coming face to face with the inevitability of change and the need to define who they are against the forces of tradition and expectation.

In the collection's title story, three different groups of Hawaiian women observe and comment on the progress of an American tourist through one day and one night in Honolulu, up until its disconcerting conclusion; in "Wanle," a young woman decides to take revenge on the man who had her father murdered only to find that her father wasn't who she thought he was; "The Road to Hana" leads a young couple to an encounter with a stray dog that shakes their relationship to the core; and in "Portrait of a Good Father," an old photograph suggests a deceptively idyllic moment in the life of a family-to-be that will subsequently be torn apart by infidelity and a tragic accident. Throughout THIS IS PARADISE, Kahakauwila is a careful observer of her protagonists' actions and, sometimes, their inaction. Her portrayal of people whose lives have lost their centre of gravity is acute, often heartbreaking, and suffused with a deeply felt empathy. KRISTIANA KAHAKAUWILA is Native Hawaiian, born and raised in Southern California. The separation of place and culture is a recurring theme in her writing, as are questions regarding Western and Oceanic notions of tradition, ownership, and ethnic identity. Kahakauwila earned a Bachelor's Degree in Comparative Literature from Princeton University. She subsequently worked as a magazine editor before earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Fiction from the University of Michigan. Kahakauwila lives in Hawai`i, where she teaches at Chaminade University of Honolulu. THIS IS PARADISE is her fiction debut, and she is currently working on her first novel, THE WATERS OF HONOPOU.