This Is Paradise (mini-review)

This Is Paradise (2013) by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Kristiana Kahakauwila is a native Hawaiian whose debut collection of short stories gives the reader a vivid look at what life on the islands is really like. This is no travel guide. No pretty overview of the beautiful landscape. These stories focus on the lives of the Hawaiians--those who grew up there and whose ancestors have been there for generations and who feel bound to the islands; those who feel the need to leave but who always hear the call of the land of their forebears; those who are of Hawaiian descent and born elsewhere but who are drawn back by invisible ties; and those whose ancestry lies elsewhere but who can't feel at home anywhere else. More than anything the stories are about knowing or finding the place where you belong.  ★★★★ and 1/2.