Amy 
historical fiction
I read Moloka’i by Alan Brennert six years ago and was concerned that I
wouldn’t remember enough to enjoy this novel.
However, since Moloka’i was written 16 years ago and this sequel was
just released, I figured I could remember enough of the heartache of Rachel, a
girl sent away from her family to live in a leper colony on Moloka’i when she
was 6 years old. This sequel, Daughter of Moloka’i, is the story of Rachel’s daughter, Ruth, who had to be given up for adoption rather than be raised in a leper colony before the cure for Hansen's Disease was discovered. From the start, Ruth’s
story pulled me in. However, the most
gripping section is its horrifying description of life for Japanese Americans
in the wake of World War II. I had not known much about the internment camps
and I learned a great deal through this story. As with Moloka’i, this novel pulled
at my heartstrings and was populated with memorable characters.
Unfortunately, at about the 80% mark it really started to
drag. Life was happy for Ruth but the
story lost its momentum. I had to psych
myself up to finish it. I like that
there was closure but the story went on too long.
No comments:
Post a Comment