In this debut short story collection, Megan Kamalei Kakimoto explores identity and indigenous writing through short stories that delight in considering the uncomfortable.

I tend to think of short story collections like music albums--there's always a few songs that really hit, some that are good, and some that don't strike as hard as they could. With this in mind, I'd say Kakimoto's collection is one of the better ones I've read. While not every story stuck out to me as flawless, they all managed to capture my imagination and immerse me in a world I'm largely unfamiliar with. Kakimoto doesn't make many accommodations for the reader. The text is filled with the Native Hawaiian language, and while context does a lot of work, she doesn't go out of her way to help the reader understand every little thing. I think this is an incredible strength of the work. These stories ask you to dive into unfamiliar territory and demand to be accepted on their own terms.

While every story had its merits, I particularly loved the stories that delved into the fantastical. While several of the stories are firmly rooted in realist, some delve into what I would consider speculative fiction, while others pull in magical elements that are sometimes rooted in Hawaiian folklore or religion, and sometimes of their own creation. These were the stories that captured me the most, and the ones I imagine myself re-reading.

I'm limited by a whole number grading system, so am forced to give this 4.5 star collection only 4 stars. Short stories are hard. My advice to any potential reader is to pick this book up and find the stories that resonate you. Even if only one sticks out, it's more than worth it to buy this book.

Beautiful writing and an amazing collection of stories. I enjoyed diving into Hawaiian identity and mythology and learning more about the devastating effects of colonization on Hawaii.

A solid collection of stories featuring Native Hawaiian and hapa women in Hawaii, wrapped up in a GORGEOUS cover. Just look at that. The corporeal elements made me think this collection would be an excellent choice for K Ming Chang fans. My favorite stories included Ms. Amelia's Salon for Women in Charge; Aiko, the Writer; and The Love and Decline of the Corpse Flower (in order of appearance).

Although not light stories, they are well-written ones. This author's talent is quite clear, and she has this form nailed. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

This is a very strong and moving collection of diverse stories illustrating the lives of Hawaiian women and girls of different backgrounds. These stories are speculative, occasionally grotesque, and but always sympathetic towards the characters. The collection opens with "A Catalogue of Kānaka Superstitions, as Told by Your Mother," which sets the stage for every other story by letting us know some of the religious and cultural traditions of the Kānaka Maoli. We later see that these are also part of the general culture of the islands, even for those who are not kānaka, but one of the other many ethnicities that make up Hawai'i. Some of the supertstitions include not whistling at night to call the Night Marchers, the fact that 4 is representative of death, and that pregnant women shouldn't wear a closed flower lei. These all come back throughout the book, and it's a wonderful way of tying all the stories together.

I'm having trouble deciding which amazing story was my favorite, but the ones that stick out the most are the title story, Madwomen, Touch Me like One of Your Island Girls: A Love Story, and The Love and Decline of the Corpse Flower. The speculative and borderline horror elements are deftly deployed, and even as someone who doesn't consider themselves a horror fan, I loved it. More grotestque than horror.

Highly recommend this collection, and looking forward to Kakimoto's future work! Thanks to Bloomsbury for the gifted eARC.

From the eye-catching book cover — and a title that had me pondering - ‘what’s up?’ - to the blog-description….I knew I wanted to read these stories:
“Set in Hawaii. Debut story collection from a Japanese and Maoli (native Hawaiian) writer …… following “a cast of mixed native Hawaiian and Japanese women through a contemporary landscape thick with inherited wisdom and the ghost of colonization. This is a Hawaii where unruly sexuality and generational memory overflow the postcard image of paradise and the boundaries of the real, where the superstitions born of the islands take on the weight of truth”……
“a fierce love letter to Hawaiian identity and mythology, and a searing dispatch from an occupied territory threatening to erupt with violent secrets”.

Megan Kamalei Kakimoto doesn’t shy away from uncomfortably awkwardness—shaming—betrayal—frenzy & fury. She’s fearless! Bold! I respect her for it.
Megan’s writing is unflinching forthright. With full-on force …..her writing is immodestly confident. She writes with head-on intensity and raptness. Her stories are riveting — perceptively attuned to freedom and justice ….and her storytelling energetically — even educational-engaging.

Hawaii is my Honeymoon Home. For the past 45 years, Paul and I usually go every December.
I’m familiar with the lushness, beauty, beaches, surfing, rainforests, volcanoes, whale watching, birds, flowers, hiking, sunsets, rainbows, — and I’ve read James Michener 1400+ page historical epic novel “Hawaii”…..
but there was a type of discovery in these native stories that I had never read before……about the deep sensory ancestral experience and how it directly legend history affected women.
The Hawaiian islands are surrounded by many FASCINATING LEGEND stories ……of Gods and men, love and betrayal, goodness, and evil.
For the indigenous Hawaiian people, (scary for women), the legends are not just ‘myths’ — they are historical truths, integrated ……
I was left with a deeper understanding of safety needs for Native Hawaiian Women…..and other social issues linked with trauma of colonization.
I also came away with more awareness about superstitions and the power they can have over people and every day life.

Megan Kamalei Kakimoto gives us eleven stories. I needed to read them slowly. I never read more than two stories in one sitting.
I enjoyed savoring each one (ha- and I’ve pages of notes on each one) > memory reminders for myself -including a few new Hawaiian terms, I picked up along the way.
I visited Google (not too much, but a little), to clarity a few Hawaiian terms.
One day — I read up on ‘famous’ supernaturals — terrifying mysterious - legends - that are still told in Hawaii today.

I gave myself a little expanded ghostly-folklore legend/myths education.
I had fun learning about traditional Hawaiian mythology and religion that has had ties to the ancient Polynesian beliefs— that have been passed down through generations.

I enjoyed these stories — (Megan is incredibly gifted —filling a void in literature that we just haven’t had enough of).
I also enjoyed my extra -curricular Hawaiian/legend studies…..(which never would have happened without the inspiration of our author and her stories.

So I’ll review the first story… the title story—
(leave other chosen stories for other reviewers?/)…..
but I have notes and all the stories should anybody be interested in asking me more.

“Every Drop is A Man’s Nightmare” . . . . .
Lopaka is *Sadie’s* stepfather. Her mother is Kahea.
They are driving from Ka’a’awa to Palolo where they have a cottage. (This story belongs to Sadie).
Sadie, twelve-years-of-age…..at the start ……just got her period for the first time. There are blotches of blood soaked into the backseat. She tells her mother, who was sitting in the passenger seat that she is bleeding.
Mom says, “Oh, honey, it’s about time”.
Suddenly, their car comes to a quick screeching jolt. They just hit a pua’a (a Hawaiian name for pig).
Kahea doesn’t care about old wise, tales, and island origin stories,
but Lopaka and his family believe in ‘rotten luck’. (and the repercussions they trigger).
They believe in ‘Night Marchers’ (spirits-deadly ghosts) and Pele’s wrath, (an old Hawaiian curse about moving anything negative such as rock or sand from one island to the next), etc.
They never whistle at night, and they don’t sleep with their prostate toes pointing toward the bedroom door.

Its Lopaka’s birthday: thirty-two….. (family and friends are gathered at the cottage to celebrate)….
and of course they are celebrating with Lopaka’s favorite food: kalua pig.
Lopaka has been in Sadie’s life for a little over a year and he has taught her native legends. He has also taught her (unfortunately) fear, shame, and unworthiness.
Sadie learned a lot that night at that birthday party.
She learned that in the high days of “ali’i wahine ka wa haumia (bleeding women), were regarded a reverence, otherwise reserved for royalty.
The rest of this coming-of-age story for Sadie (college, Jason, educational & awareness awakening, marriage, etc), is marvelous…
so tender & beautiful….with a very - real - powerful message about self-love, body acceptance, respect, self-growth, healthy self- encouragement, trust, about men, (they are not all dickheads), and about love.

A few of my other favorite stories were: (with similar vital themes)
“Madwoman”
“Ms. Amelia’s Salon for Women in Charge”
“Hotel Molokai”
and
“Some Things I Know About Elvis”

Extraordinary debut…
Hair-raising - menacing - bona fide - genuine to the core - outlandishly ingenious!

5 beaming stars.

I wanted to like this one so badly but I really struggled with the writing. I found the stories unsatisfying given their length--I love a longer short story, but in this case I found that the narratives we got didn't really merit their length. I also just wanted more from the writing; it felt a bit underwhelming to me and I struggled to understand how the characters got from point A to point B because their development felt hindered by the writing.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for providing me with an eARC of this!

What a powerful debut, with what will surely be one of the best book covers of year. If you haven’t taken the time to stop and appreciate this cover, use this opportunity to do so now.

I love Kakimoto’s writing. It’s so beautiful and evocative and very smart, and so I made good use of the dictionary in my Kindle app. She has a particularly fun way of cleverly describing the mundane, which often delighted me.

The stories are haunting, sometimes literally. There’s a recurring sense of isolation and loneliness, of wanting what you shouldn’t have, set against a gorgeous landscape of myths and the things that tie you to a community. All of the stories flowed well into each other.

I’m looking forward to her upcoming novel (which has already been announced!!) and I’m really interested to see how she further develops some of the themes she explored in these stories.

Fantastic. These stories are haunting and heavy. There aren’t monsters or murderers—but the works are filled with ghosts and the grotesque. The stories get better and better as the book progresses, and I would maybe recommend reading them in order. You will like this book if you enjoyed “The Dangers of Smoking in Bed” by Mariana Enríquez, “Manmade Monsters” by Andrea L. Rogers, or “Night of the Living Rez” by Morgan Talty. I leave this work thinking a lot about the horrors and wonders of femininity and racial identity.

Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the digital ARC :)

A brilliant collection of stories. Probably my favorite short story collection this year. I read all of them and enjoyed every one. Would love to read a longer novel by this author.