I went in with very high hopes for this collection, but found the majority escaped my understanding. While the explorations of Revilla's queer identity come through, the ways it, I guess, conflicts (?) with her and her family's identities as Hawaiian natives is where I felt adrift. The connections were not clearly drawn (for me, a non-native) so I was not particularly moved one way or another. 

I found the notes at the back very helpful in explaining phrases in Hawaiian and giving cultural and political context, but, first appearances aside, it doesn’t seem that it’s what these poems are directly addressing. I may revisit in the future, to try again, but I think I will want to read some more Hawaiian literature before I do.