Red Sky Over Hawaii: A Novel

Red Sky Over Hawaii, authored by native Hawaiian Sara Ackerman, opens with Lana Hitchcock racing from Hilo to Volcano on December 8, 1941, with two young girls -- Marie and Coco -- in tow, along with two geese and a Great Dane named Sailor. Two more passengers are concealed in the back of her vehicle, and she's terrified they will be discovered by the officers stationed at the checkpoint near the entrance to the park, situated not far from Kilauea military camp. Fortunately, she convinces them to let her and the girls be on their way, and they eventually find the house she has just learned her father left her. Lana and her father were estranged for a number of years, but when he called three days earlier to tell her he was dying, she rushed to see him. She had long desired a reconciliation, and believed that eventually she and her father would make amends. Tragically, however, Lana arrives at the hospital too late.

Lana journeys on to her father's house where she meets his German neighbors, Ingrid and Fred Wagner, and their daughters. From them, she learns that her father, the gregarious Jack Spalding, sold the house to them, explaining that he needed the money for a project and Lana had no interest in keeping the property. Jack had been spending weeks at a time away from home. Following clues he left her, Lana discovers she has inherited a house in Volcano. Her father's cryptic message -- "When the time comes, all are welcome" -- only begins to make sense the following day as she and the Wagners listen in shocked silence to radio reports that enemy planes are attacking Pearl Harbor. Clearly, Lana cannot return to Honolulu and her unfaithful husband, Buck, with whom she has been unable to have the child she longs for. The Wagners know they will immediately come under suspicion because of the alliance between Germany and Japan, even though they fled Germany to escape Hitler's rule. Sure enough, later that day two FBI agents take the Wagners into custody for questioning, so Lana agrees to watch over Marie and Coco, naively hopeful that their parents will be released in a few hours. That does not happen, of course, but Mr. London, one of Fred's business associates arrives, claiming he was appointed by Fred to watch over the girls and the Wagners' business interests. It is apparent to Lana that he is not a suitable guardian for two young girls.

So Lana gathers up her charges, and they make the treacherous trip to Volcano. Once they locate her father's hideaway house, they work together to make it inhabitable. Their futures are uncertain -- the war has literally just begun and no one knows how long it will last or how the world will have been changed by the time it is over. Hawaii remains vulnerable and endangered, so residents must comply with orders dictating movement about the island and a curfew. With trade routes cut off, food staples are quickly in short supply. Fear and distrust threaten the previously peaceful way of life on the islands among diverse people. Not only are the Wagners still being held against their will because of their German births. Japanese residents are taken into custody because of concerns about their loyalty. Lana is determined to keep Mochi and Benji safe, hidden away at her father's house where. hopefully, the local authorities won't discover them. Lana risks her own freedom and safety to ensure that Marie and Coco are not returned to Hilo in the dubious care of the unscrupulous Mr. London.

As the days pass and Christmas approaches, Ackerman's characters learn to trust and depend upon each other. Lana becomes acquainted with Major Grant Bailey, who met her father on the golf course and grew close to him over the course of the prior year. Grant is a cowboy from Wyoming who is equally at home atop a horse as with people. He is also in charge of Ki'lauea Military Camp which is being converted to a detention center. As Lana and Grant grow closer, she questions whether she can be entirely forthcoming with him about the composition of her newly-established household, as well as the events in her past that fractured her relationship with her father.

Ackerman's affection for her subject matter and characters is evident in the thoughtful, compassionate way she tells an engrossing story about what it means to create and be part of a family in the face of adversity. The Big Island is as much a character in the book as its human counterparts. Ackerman's descriptive, evocative prose transports readers to the remote hideaway; the lava fields where Lana and the girls visit her Auntie, a kapuna (elder); and the little town of Volcano where the elderly Mrs. Kano and her granddaughter, Iris, operate the Kano Store -- past which government vehicles roll through town bringing troops and prisoners to the nearby detention facility.

Ackerman convincingly depicts Lana "at one of those difficult crossroads in life, where everything seems to fall apart at once." She is disappointed about her failed marriage and regrets that she did not heal her relationship with her father while she still had time. She accepts responsibility for her part in their separation, as she mourns him and strives to discern what he wanted her to know. Her commitment to the girls and concern for her father's dear friend, Mochi, as well as young Benji, fuel her determination. Her outrage and dismay at how quickly her fellow Hawaiians are viewed with suspicion and deprived of their rights is palpable and believable, as is the fear and trepidation that all of the characters experience. As soon as they learn of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lana instantly recognizes that life will never be the same, and her anger about that is credible. So are her burgeoning feelings for Grant and hesitation to act on them, in light of the duties he is charged with carrying out and obligation to comply with orders from his superiors. Empowered, yet vulnerable, Lana is principled and refuses to yield her loyalty to those she has gathered around her.

Two particular aspects of Ackerman's writing distinguish Red Sky Over Hawaii from other historical fiction set during World War II. The first is her depiction of the varying ways the characters react to the circumstances in which they find themselves, and the strong relationships that evolve in a short period of time. Thrown together by events beyond their imagining or control, they become an empathetic, cohesive unit in spite of their differences.

The second is the character who truly embodies the heart and soul of Ackerman's story. Coco is a stubborn little girl, devastated by being separated from her parents, especially her mother. Ingrid has always been Coco's defender, the one who understands and protects her, including from the other children at school who don't understand how special she is. Coco can charm animals and has the gift of seeing things others can't. She senses when events are about to take place because she observes a crack in the sky. When Lana looks to the sky for signs of it, Coca sternly tells her she won't be able to see it "because you don't believe, not really." But that's not true. Lana relates to and connects with Coco because Lana too has also always had a sense of knowing when a disaster is on the way -- just as she did as she frantically made her way to Hilo the day before the attack. Lana recognizes that Coco is not like other children, and lovingly does everything she can to ensure that Coco is permitted to be her authentic self. Through characters like Auntie, a deeply spiritual woman, Ackerman educates readers about Hawaiian culture, and the sacred connections to the land and beliefs of her people.

Red Sky Over Hawaii is a captivating, mesmerizing, and moving tale about a time in American history when ordinary people refused to succumb to distrust and wariness even in the face of a calculated, vicious attack. Ackerman examines the dark and disturbing aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and depicts characters who are resilient, determined, and come together to support and care for each in the face of prejudice and divisiveness. Her injection of elements of magical realism into the story make it even more entertaining, charming, and touching. Red Sky Over Hawaii is a delight, especially for historical fiction fans, but a must-read for anyone who enjoys an uplifting and engrossing exploration of what it means to be part of a family.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.