Kaui Hart Hemmings (2007)
Genre
Literary Fiction
Reading Time
6 hours 30 min
Key Themes
See below
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A Hawaiian land baron, dealing with his thrill-seeking wife's impending death, goes on a darkly comedic journey with his rebellious daughters to find his wife's secret lover, forcing them to face their complicated past and an unexpected sense of freedom.
Matthew King, a successful land trustee and descendant of Hawaiian royalty, faces a major crisis: his wife, Joanie, is in a permanent coma after a boating accident. Doctors tell Matt she will soon be taken off life support, a decision that is his alone. Matt struggles with this, reflecting on their complicated marriage and his own faults as a husband. His two daughters, Scottie and Alex, are also affected by the news. Scottie, ten, is acting out in school, while seventeen-year-old Alex, recently back from rehab, is withdrawn. Matt's attempts to connect with them are met with resistance and the tension of their shared grief and unspoken resentments.
While visiting Joanie in the hospital, Matt brings Alex, hoping for a moment of family comfort. Instead, Alex drops a bombshell: Joanie was having an affair. She says she saw Joanie kissing another man shortly before the accident and that Joanie had told Alex she wanted a divorce. This news shatters Matt's already fragile state, turning his grief into a mix of anger, betrayal, and a desperate need for answers. He presses Alex for details, but she is hesitant to share more, her own pain clear. The news adds another layer of complexity to Joanie's coming death, changing it from a simple tragedy into a tangled web of secrets and infidelity.
Driven by a need for closure and a desire to understand his wife's final months, Matt decides he must find the man Joanie was having an affair with. He believes this man deserves to say goodbye to Joanie before she dies and, perhaps, give Matt some explanation. Matt asks Alex, who reluctantly agrees to help him identify the man. Their search begins with Alex remembering a vague description and a name, Brian. This leads them on an awkward and emotional quest as they look at old photos, ask friends, and piece together clues about Joanie's secret life. The search forces Matt and Alex into an uncomfortable partnership, slowly improving their strained relationship.
Matt, having identified Brian Speer as Joanie's lover, decides to travel to Kauai to confront him. He insists on bringing both Alex and Scottie, believing they all need to face this truth together. The trip is full of tension; Scottie's disruptive behavior and Alex's moodiness add to Matt's stress. In Kauai, they find Brian Speer, a real estate agent, and Matt awkwardly introduces himself and tells him the news about Joanie's condition. Brian is clearly shocked and upset, confirming the affair and expressing his love for Joanie. The confrontation is painful for everyone, showing raw emotions of betrayal, grief, and the complicated nature of love.
At the same time as his personal crisis, Matt is dealing with a huge decision about his family's ancestral land. As the trustee of a large, untouched Hawaiian property passed down through generations, Matt is under pressure from his many cousins to sell the land to a development group. The sale would make them all rich, but it would also permanently change an important piece of Hawaiian heritage and his family's legacy. Matt feels torn between his duty to his family's financial well-being and his deep connection to the land and its cultural importance. This outside conflict adds another layer of stress to his already overwhelming personal life, making him consider his family's future in more ways than one.
After confronting Brian Speer, Matt later meets Brian's wife, Julie, during a casual outing. This meeting is very uncomfortable for Matt, as he realizes Julie knows nothing about her husband's affair with Joanie. He struggles with whether to tell her the truth, finally deciding not to, out of compassion and a wish not to cause more pain. The encounter shows the far-reaching effects of Joanie's affair and the innocent people caught in its wake. It also makes Matt think about the complexities of marriage and the secrets people keep, further blurring his simple view of his own wife's actions.
Throughout the ordeal, ten-year-old Scottie continues to act out, showing defiance and a need for attention. She makes inappropriate comments, gets into trouble at school, and challenges Matt's authority. At first, Matt struggles to connect with her, often frustrated by her behavior. However, as they spend more time together, especially during the trip to Kauai, a subtle change happens. Scottie's defenses start to break down, and she begins to show glimpses of her vulnerability and grief. Matt, in turn, tries to understand her, engaging with her on her terms and offering her the comfort and stability she needs. Their relationship, though still difficult, begins to grow deeper.
The day arrives when Joanie is to be taken off life support. Matt arranges for a gathering at the hospital, inviting close family and friends to say their final goodbyes. The atmosphere is solemn and emotional. Brian Speer, having flown back to Oahu, arrives quietly to pay his respects, showing his complex feelings for Joanie. Matt, standing by Joanie's bedside, gives a heartfelt, though somewhat conflicted, eulogy in her presence. He acknowledges her spirit, her flaws, and her impact on their lives. The scene is a release for many, allowing them to process their grief and find some peace.
After Joanie's death, Matt must make a final decision about the ancestral land. Despite the huge financial pressure from his cousins and the appeal of wealth, Matt decides against selling the land for development. He recognizes the importance of keeping its natural beauty and cultural heritage, choosing to honor his ancestors' legacy and his own values over immediate financial gain. This decision marks a turning point for Matt, solidifying his sense of self and his commitment to his family's true inheritance. It shows his changing character, demonstrating his growth beyond the passive husband and landowner he once was.
After Joanie's death and the land decision, Matt, Alex, and Scottie begin the difficult process of rebuilding their lives. The shared trauma and the journey of discovery have changed their relationships, creating a stronger, though unconventional, bond. They find comfort in small, everyday moments, like watching television together or sharing meals. Matt becomes a more present and attentive father, while Alex and Scottie, though still grieving, lean on each other and their father. The ending suggests a hopeful, though still challenging, future for the King family as they learn to live with their loss and embrace their new family dynamic, finding strength in their resilience and their new closeness.
The Protagonist
Matt transforms from a passive, disconnected husband and father into an active, engaged patriarch who makes difficult decisions based on his own values.
The Catalyst/Deceased Wife
Her physical state is static, but her character is revealed through flashbacks and the reactions of others, showing her as a complex, flawed, and deeply human individual.
The Supporting/Confidante
Alex moves from a resentful, isolated teenager to a more open, supportive daughter, finding a new connection with her father.
The Supporting/Comic Relief
Scottie's disruptive behavior gradually gives way to moments of vulnerability and a deeper connection with her father.
The Antagonist/Catalyst
Brian is a static character whose revelation and reaction provide crucial emotional context for Joanie's character and Matt's journey.
The Mentioned
Her character remains static, serving primarily as a plot device to reveal the wider impact of the affair.
The Supporting
Hugh's character remains consistent, serving as an external force pressuring Matt.
The Supporting
Sid's character is largely static, serving as a supportive presence and an outside observer.
The novel explores grief's many forms, not just for the deceased but also for a lost reality. Matt, Alex, and Scottie each deal with Joanie's coming death differently, moving through anger, denial, and acceptance. Matt's grief is complicated by the affair's betrayal, turning his sadness into a search for understanding. The children's acting out, especially Scottie's, shows their inability to express their sorrow. The family's journey to say goodbye to Joanie at the hospital is a depiction of collective mourning and the struggle for closure amid deep sadness.
“I was losing my wife, but I had already lost her. The Joanie I knew had been gone for a long time.”
The plot's main trigger is the revelation of Joanie's affair, which shatters Matt's view of his marriage and his wife. Betrayal extends beyond romantic infidelity to include Matt's feelings of being betrayed by his family's expectations about the land. The novel explores the difficult path to forgiveness, both for Joanie and for Matt's own perceived failures as a husband. His decision to find Brian Speer and let him say goodbye, and his eulogy for Joanie, suggest a complex, nuanced form of forgiveness, acknowledging flaws without erasing love.
“How could I forgive her when she wasn't even there to ask for it?”
The King family's deep roots in Hawaii, especially their ancestral land, form a significant background to the story. Matt struggles with his legacy as a descendant of Hawaiian royalty and the trustee of valuable land, feeling the weight of generations of expectations. The novel examines the complexities of family bonds—love, resentment, unspoken rules, and lasting connection. Joanie's death forces the fragmented King family to confront their relationships and ultimately form a new, imperfect, family unit. Matt's decision to keep the land is a powerful statement about preserving legacy over immediate gain.
“We were a family, after all, and even if we were broken, we were still connected.”
Matt's journey is a search for truth—about his wife, his marriage, and himself. The affair's revelation pushes him into a quest for answers, making him uncover layers of deception and self-deception. This search is tied to his own identity crisis as a husband, father, and Hawaiian landowner. By facing uncomfortable truths, Matt begins to shed his passive persona and assert his own values. The children, especially Alex, also embark on their own searches for truth and identity as they navigate their grief and their changing understanding of their mother.
“I was looking for the man who loved my wife, and I was looking for the man I was before I lost her.”
Joanie's inert state as a catalyst for revelation and introspection.
Joanie's persistent coma serves as a crucial plot device. Her physical inability to communicate forces Matt to seek answers elsewhere, primarily through Alex, leading to the revelation of the affair. Her silence allows Matt to project his own feelings and memories onto her, prompting deep introspection about their marriage. This state also creates a ticking clock for Matt's quest, as he knows he must make decisions before she is taken off life support. Joanie's comatose state transforms her from an active character into a symbolic one, representing the unresolved issues and hidden truths within the King family.
The valuable Hawaiian land as a symbol of legacy, conflict, and cultural identity.
The King family's vast ancestral land functions as more than just property; it is a powerful symbol of their heritage, their connection to Hawaii, and a source of significant internal and external conflict. The pressure to sell it highlights themes of tradition versus modernity, cultural preservation versus financial gain, and individual responsibility versus family obligation. Matt's eventual decision not to sell the land marks a pivotal moment in his character arc, signifying his embrace of his identity and his commitment to a deeper, more meaningful legacy than mere wealth. It acts as a parallel to his personal journey of self-discovery.
The journey as a physical and emotional catalyst for family bonding and revelation.
The family's trip to Kauai, ostensibly to confront Brian Speer, serves as a classic road trip narrative device. The confined space of travel forces Matt and his daughters, Alex and Scottie, into closer proximity, breaking down their emotional barriers. Away from the familiar comforts and distractions of home, they are compelled to interact, share vulnerabilities, and confront uncomfortable truths. The journey facilitates the deepening of their relationships, particularly between Matt and Alex, and provides a distinct change of scenery that allows for new perspectives and unexpected encounters, such as meeting Julie Speer.
“The thing about Hawaii, I thought, is that you’re never more than a few feet from a spectacular view. And you’re never more than a few feet from someone else’s spectacular view, which is usually exactly the same as yours.”
— Matt King reflecting on the paradox of Hawaii's beauty and its commercialization.
“My wife, Joanie, got into a boating accident. She’s in a coma. She will die soon.”
— Matt King's blunt opening narration establishing the central conflict.
“You think I’m being a bad father. I know you do. And maybe I am. But I’m doing the best I can with what I have.”
— Matt King's internal struggle and defensiveness about his parenting skills after Joanie's accident.
“We’re not a family of huggers. We’re a family of eye-rollers and sighers and people who keep their feelings to themselves.”
— Matt King describing his family's emotional distant dynamic.
“Sometimes you just have to do the right thing, even if it’s the hardest thing.”
— Matt King's moral compass guiding his decisions about the land and his family.
“I was the backup parent. The guy who showed up to the school plays in the wrong clothes, the guy who made the girls laugh but couldn’t get them to eat their vegetables.”
— Matt King's self-deprecating reflection on his role as a father before Joanie's accident.
“You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and then you spend the rest of your life trying to get it back.”
— Matt King's realization about his marriage and Joanie's impending death.
“The land. It’s the only thing that lasts. Everything else is just… borrowed.”
— Matt King reflecting on the ancestral Hawaiian land and its significance.
“There are times when you have to choose between what is easy and what is right.”
— Matt King contemplating the sale of his family's land.
“It’s hard to be a good person when you’re doing something bad.”
— Matt King struggling with his feelings about Joanie's affair.
“We’re all just trying to do our best, aren’t we? Even when our best isn’t very good.”
— Matt King's empathetic understanding of the flawed people around him.
“I realized that the only thing worse than knowing your wife is dying is not knowing if she ever loved you.”
— Matt King's deep personal anguish and insecurity about his marriage.
“Sometimes the people you love the most are the ones who hurt you the most.”
— Matt King's painful understanding of family dynamics and betrayal.
“The world keeps moving, even when your own world has stopped.”
— Matt King observing the continuation of life around him despite his personal tragedy.
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