The Pohaku, Jasmin Iolani Hakes (Review by Stacey Lorenson)

In this mesmerizing historical fiction novel, Hakes resurrects an essential piece of California history that recounts a multi-generational saga of Hawaiian migration from Honolulu to California. Dual timelines separate the narration of this story. The present day is narrated by a grandmother telling her estranged granddaughter about their royal lineage. The second timeline introduces readers to the royal family and their contributions to California history. 1992 Kauai: A grandmother, conflicted with guilt and grief, waits for her comatose granddaughter to wake from a suspicious fall at Kings Bath. To motivate her granddaughter back to consciousness, she relates a story about a sacred pohaku (a stone talisman representing a foundational element in Hawaiian culture that symbolizes strength, heritage, and connection to the land). The women of their family had access to the pohaku’s powers since the 1700s, entrusted to its safekeeping, as it journeyed with the ancestors from Hawaii to California. 1740-1894 Migration Journey: John Augustus Sutter, a Swiss businessman, negotiated a contract with Hawaiian royalty, lending eight men and two women to help him establish a colony in California. Sutter’s Hawaiian helpers would become instrumental in colonizing northern California, helping Sutter communicate with indigenous tribes, and building the famous Sutter Fort. The story focuses on their lives prior and post colonization, the effects of migration, and the search for the lost pohaku. This was a mind-blowing novel! Jasmin Iolani Hakes resurrects a well-documented but often overlooked part of American history. The author examines found family, ecological preservation, greed, forgiveness, and colonization with compassion and reverence for the Hawaiian peoples, while illuminating the persistent problem of historical amnesia and the destructive myth of American idealism. The Pohaku is an exemplary book club selection that offers a variety of discussion topics. I cannot recommend this book enough!