Ewww. Historical fiction. I liked the fiction part, and I love history, but I just find it so irritating that Jin just "happened" to become friends with SO MANY of the important or notorious figures of Hawaii's past. WHAT A COINCIDENCE! It kind of felt like there were two stories going on, and one was being forced to conform to the constraints of the other. Aside from my little gripe, I did find it a very interesting read, it's nice to see the non-guide book version of Hawaiian history (frankly, dull and hard to process). So, from a perspective of reading a novel for fun, I didn't enjoy it very much at all, but from an educational perspective it was very informative and painted a nice picture of a very interesting place. Also, the author treated Jin's journey (however unbelievable) with respect and sensitivity, and it's always nice to see the downtrodden make good at the end!