The Pohaku: A Novel

I really wanted to love Pōhaku, especially because I know how beloved Hula has become. But ultimately, this one just wasn’t for me. As a Native Hawaiian reader, I’m especially sensitive to stories that engage with Hawaiian language, mythology, and cultural knowledge, particularly when the author is not Hawaiian. To me, that raises the standard for accuracy and cultural grounding even higher. So encountering a misspelling of a very common Hawaiian word early in the book immediately pulled me out of the story. It signaled a lack of Hawaiian cultural eyes or advisors in the proofreading and development process, which honestly felt disappointing given the subject matter. That matters. Structurally, I also struggled with the format. The story jumps across different time periods to illustrate the significance of the pōhaku, but for me it made the narrative feel disjointed rather than immersive. I kept trying to reconnect with it, even switching over to the audiobook, but I still couldn’t fully settle into the storytelling. That said, not every book is for every reader, and this simply wasn’t my taste. I can appreciate the ambition and intention behind it, but personally, I wanted deeper cultural care and a storytelling style that felt more cohesive and emotionally grounded.