Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes, THE PŌHAKU

Award-winning author of Hula, Jasmin 'Iolani Hakes visits the store to discuss The Pōhaku, a dazzling saga about the generations of women tasked with protecting the history and place that made them. The Pōhaku is an immersive and bold novel about the his­tory, perseverance, and resilience of the Hawaiian people.

A young woman lies comatose in a hospital, watched by her estranged grandmother. Mystery surrounds the woman’s fall—did she jump off the cliff, or was she swept away by a wave? Her grandmother suspects it is linked to the pōhaku, an ancient stone that their family was tasked with protecting.

In this novel spanning generations across Hawai`i and California, it soon becomes clear that the pōhaku’s story must sur­vive if there is to be any hope of the fam­ily’s reconciliation with their home, with nature, and with each other.

Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Tommy Orange’s There, There.

Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. She is the author of the novel Hula, winner of HONOLULU Magazine’s 2024 Book of the Year. She is the recipient of the Best Fiction award from the Southern California Writers Conference, a LoJo Foundation Scholarship, a Writing by Writers Emerging Voices fellowship, and residencies from Hedgebrook, VCCA, and Storyknife. She lives in California.

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