Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Moloka'i

by Alan Brennert

Young Rachel Kalama, growing up in idyllic Honolulu in the 1890s, is part of a big, loving Hawaiian family, and dreams of seeing the far-off lands that her father, a merchant seaman, often visits. But at the age of seven, Rachel and her dreams are shattered by the discovery that she has leprosy. Forcibly removed from her family, she is sent to Kalaupapa, the isolated leper colony on the island of Moloka'i. In her exile she finds a family of friends to replace the family she's lost: a native healer, Haleola, who becomes her adopted "auntie" and makes Rachel aware of the rich culture and mythology of her people; Sister Mary Catherine Voorhies, one of the Franciscan sisters who care for young girls at Kalaupapa; and the beautiful, worldly Leilani, who harbors a surprising secret. At Kalaupapa she also meets the man she will one day marry. True to historical accounts, "Moloka'i" is the story of an extraordinary human drama, the full scope and pathos of which has never been told before in fiction. But Rachel's life, though shadowed by disease, isolation, and tragedy, is also one of joy, courage, and dignity. This is a story about life, not death; hope, not despair. It is not about the failings of flesh, but the strength of the human spirit.

Reviewed by ibeforem on

5 of 5 stars

Share
When we first meet Rachel, it’s 1891 and she’s a seven-year-old helping her mother make poi. At this point, none of them have an idea of the changes their family will go through. It begins with her uncle being tracked down and taken away because he has the “separating sickness”. It is leprosy, and it is taken very seriously, because Hawaiians are particularly susceptible. When Rachel’s mother discovers a red spot on Rachel’s leg with no feeling, she knows what is going to happen. She tries to hide it, but her efforts are in vain as Rachel is taken away to be evaluated. They’ll never be together again.

I thought this was a fascinating book. Not only do you get a bit of Hawaiian history before Hawaii was part of the U.S., you get to see a really unusual side of it. I had no idea that leprosy was such a problem in Hawaii, nor did I know the lengths the government went through to prevent its spread. They took the sick, young and old alike, and isolated them in an island community stuck in time. Not only are they not allowed physical contact with any of the non-infected (other than the nuns caring for them), their families are often shunned as “unclean” and forced to make difficult decisions. The lepers are assigned a place to live and then expected to make a life for themselves — however long it may be.

The book is wonderfully written, showing us Rachel’s story from multiple points of view. Rachel is relatively lucky. Her form of the disease is the less disfiguring one, so she is able to build some semblance of a normal life. So normal, in fact, that I often wondered how the book would be different if she had the more severe form. Not that she didn’t suffer; in fact, she probably suffered more than most, because she had to lose so many close friends. Brennert shows us a full range of emotion, from anger, to acceptance, to guilt, to hope, to happiness, and despair.

And, in a way, we also get a history of leprosy. During Rachel’s lifetime there are many medical breakthroughs, some more successful than others. We see not only what the treatments are, but how they affected people.

For me, there’s one thing more than anything else that tells me I’ve read a great piece of historical fiction: I go straight to Wikipedia to read about what really happened. Some characters in the book are based on real people, but Rachel is an amalgam. Moloka’i is a real place, and in fact, the parts of the island where the lepers were housed are now a National Historic Park. It is still an active leper colony, and you can visit by arranging for a guided tour. The only way into these parts is on the back of a donkey.

I highly recommend Moloka’i. Can ya tell?

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 February, 2012: Finished reading
  • 16 February, 2012: Reviewed