Three Years on Doreen's Sofa

by Lee Cataluna

THREE YEARS ON DOREENS SOFA is the story of Bobby, a bumbling, affable ne’er-do-well, and his wildly misguided attempts to go straight after serving three years in jail for a stupid drug-related offense. His sister Doreen lets him stay on her sofa until he gets his life back together. Hilarious and heartwarming, this is a fun read that you won’t want to miss. Here’s a little Me and Doreen is brother/sister and we cousins at the same time. Same father, different mothers, but our mothers is sisters. Made on the same day, born on the same day, forty weeks after a Youth Rehab graduation party at Kepaniwai Park. We have a half-sister who is a week older, but she’s just a sister because her mother wasn’t related to our mothers. As far as we know, but, she was made around the same time in the same car in the same parking lot up Iao Valley.

Genres: Novels, Fiction

213 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Lee Cataluna’s stories reflect the cultural acuity of an island artist who grew up in an international crossroads. Her work is often uproariously funny, deeply emotional, and tightly wrought.

Her recent work includes commissions from Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Dramatic Publishing, Honolulu Theatre for Youth and San Francisco Playhouse. Her work has been produced many times in the islands and studied in schools and universities. Her play Home of the Brave has been performed by school children around the country. Several of her projects have been supported by NEA grants.

She writes plays for children as well as general audiences, and has written for digital theater and television. She has worked on historically based plays and theatrical pieces based on oral histories and interviews. Many of her plays are about people and things that are not easy to love, and the magic found in everyday life. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside. She is of Native Hawaiian descent and lives in Honolulu.

Reviews

[Vaiva Rykštaitė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nžn, gal čia tik Amerikoje tie klubai, bet aš dabar esu mamų klubo ir knygų klubo narė. Knygų klube mes balsuojame už knygas, kurias skaitysime, tada skaitome, tada susitinkame su užkandžiais ir vynu aptarimui, kur nors ant vandenyno kranto… gi Havajai ;)
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Retai kada pati siūlau knygas. Man įdomu skaityti tai, ką pasiūlo kiti. Tada pažįstu kitus pasaulius, kitus žmones ir plečiu savo akiratį. Taip darau jau seniai - anksčiau sutikusi kokį naują berną ar radusi naują draugę klausdavau, kokia jų mėgstamiausia knyga? daug knygų šitaip perskaičiau, kurių šaip niekad nebūčiau nei atradusi, nei pati pasirinkusi.
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Gegužę skaitėme “Three Years on Doreen’s Sofa”. Vau. Pati vulgarausia ir labai juokinga knyga. Apie Havajus - tuos, kurių nemato ir niekad nesupras saulėje besimarkstančios turisto akys. Tuos, dėl kurių čia gimę ir užaugę vietiniai man savo rūsčiais žvilgsniais sako “nieko tu nesupranti”. Bet dabar ot ir supratu. Truputį. Nes skaičiau apie Bobby, kuris ką tik lygtinai paleistas iš kalėjimo, kuris nuo vaikystės priklausomas nuo klijų ir alkoholio, kuris uždarytas vinas namie geria urnos skalavimo skystį ar mikstūrą nuo kosiulio. Bobis yra geros širdies, jam tiesiog labai nesiseka… Jis pasakoja savo istoriją Havajų slengu, kurį - truputį didžiuojuosi, - bet jau suprantu.
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““Get your fat ass of Kenji’s pillows! Poor dog, now he gotta sleep where all stink!” And I know she’s saying “I am so glad you are part of my family and a member of this household.”

I love my sister Doreen. She treats me worse than any woman ever did. That’s satysfying. A man don’t feel like a man unless a strong-willed woman is pissed of at him. That’s when you feel your manness all proud and glowing. If you just one loser, a wahine like Dori, that means she sees enough promise in you to want to whoop your ass and make you more...”

[Kristy Cabrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Bobby, an ex-con who is fresh out of jail after serving his drug charge sentence and is back living in Hawaii. He has landed on his sister/cousin Doreen's (yes, it's that complicated) couch, and he has no direction, no job, and no real will to reform his ways. Yes, he's a total deadbeat, but if deadbeats can be lovable in a heartbreaking kind of way, then he is. He sort of stumbles through this entire novel of his misadventures, and Doreen's couch stays with him through it all like a doggedly loyal friend.

What makes this book go is the author's incredibly vivid voice of Bobby's first-person narration, told in Hawaiian-style pidgin English -- reminded me of the vernacular of Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. That voice brings you into Bobby's world from the outset and then takes you along on his journey of drug-induced highs and life lows. Even though reading about his mistakes is like watching a slow train wreck at times, this book is often hilarious and accurately depicts the awkward and difficult relationship he has with Doreen, who showers him with tough love even when she doesn't want to.

It is not a spoiler to say that he never does quite get it right... but somehow you want to cheer for him anyway. Lee Cataluna's writing is refreshing and conveys a rawer side to Hawaiian life than the one tourists know. She keeps it real without trying too hard; she tells this story with genuine authority and sensitivity combined. A solid, memorable read.

[Kerstin Lampert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye opening expose of how a young Hawaiian man on Maui is unable to get his life together. Through the element of comic relief; we are drawn to his engaging personality; only to be disappopinted over and over again, that he cannot overcome the deterrants of drugs, poverty, poor education, low motivation and low self-esteem. These factors conspire to relentlessly pull him down; into prison, and various malfeasances....a stark contrast to the usual paradise image of Maui....or as the Hawaiians say: "Maui no ka oi!" (Maui is the best!). Here, clearly, it isn't.

Too bad we can't bridge the gap here from another famous writer who found the magic on Maui:
“I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I never spent so pleasant a month before, or bade any place goodbye so regretfully. I have not once thought of business, or care or human toil or trouble or sorrow or weariness, and the memory of it will remain with me always.” -Mark Twain

[David Giff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this perhaps is the best book I've read in several years. Literally laugh out loud funny, but with a reflective bite of realism that is hard to put out mind. Great read about one element of modern Hawaiian culture...

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! As the main character gets out of prison his experiences touch on multiple social issues. The story is full of flawed but endearing characters that come to life because of the excellent writing. I don’t know when I’ve laughed so much reading a book! This is a book I won’t forget and a main character that was very lovable.

[Geoff Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tall tale about unsympathetic characters, told by an idiot. Absolutely absurd, but not entirely unenjoyable.

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reader experiences the world through Bobby's eyes. I could not identify with him, but I found myself grinning because I know people just like him. In spite of his many shortcomings, it was impossible to dislike the affable ex-con who just can't seem to catch a break. Bobby grew up in mean circumstances with a seriously dysfunctional family. In spite his difficult beginnings, he doesn't have an unkind bone in his body. He loves his family, loves his friends, loves each of the women in his life. But after he gets out of prison, the only real constant in his life is his sister/cousin Doreen's ratty orange plaid sofa, which he takes with him as he is thrown out of one home after another. Through the entire book, I wanted to root for Bobby. I hoped desperately that once, just once, something would go his way. But Bobby is his own worst enemy.
The cast of characters is unforgettable. The local Hawaii flavor comes through loud and clear, but people everywhere will be able to relate to the social issues the author touches on. The story is told in Pidgin, but the author toned it down enough that it's easy to read. There is A LOT of swearing, but even that is forgivable. This hilarious, tragic tale touched something deep inside me, became a part of me, and I know it will stay with me forever.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though Lee Cataluna is a fine writer, and the humor is wonderful, I find the book painful to read. You just know something bad is going to happen. No hope, just stumbling along as most of us do in our lives. I'm hoping to be surprised--I'm halfway through. Loved the scene with the giant taco costume. I've never had one of those jobs where you dress up as a pizza slice or whatever. I once rode in an elevator with someone in an ice cube tray costume--they'd been in a water company psa. My brother was in an orangatang costume, and he said it was really hot inside. On to the second half.

Much the same for the second half. Satire of evangelicals, homeless shelters. Toward the end I got to appreciate Bobby's acceptance of things as they are, his gallows humor, his ability to endure.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my goals in moving to Hawaii this year was to take advantage of the availability of Hawaiiana section of my local library and really dive into Hawaiian literature. Three Years on Doreen's Sofa by Lee Cataluna makes the third book that I've picked up and I am beyond convinced that something in my future study needs to be connected to this literature. I laughed and cried and thoroughly loved the story of Bobby - a lovable ne'er-do-well who has all the best intentions in the world and none of the willpower needed to follow through on them. I feel very lucky that I stumbled across a book club here and that this was the book chosen for this month. I cannot wait for the discussion on it.

Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife on Oct. 20, 2013.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picaresque work detailing the exploits of Bobby, recently released from jail, as he tries to get by each day . Set on Maui, Hawaii, and narrated in Bobbyʻs voice, the author has a fine touch with pidgin and a sensitivity to the challenges of the addicted and afflicted. This is happy-sad stuff: at times one isnʻt sure if the emotion response is laughter or tears: Tragic humour or funny tragedy? The novel moves at a great pace. Possibly a little raunchy to set for high school students, (thought, heck, they speak like this, donʻt they?) definitely worth discussing, especially social issues and Hawaiian creole, with a caveat: not for the prissy readers. There is a ture-to-life, earthy element here: strong language (albeit pigin) and sexual reference.

[Kalei McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super funny book, laugh out loud funny! Great writing style, unique in that it captures a distinct local pidgin voice. The book is about Bobby, an ex-con living in Maui with his sister who also happens to be his cousin (same dad, different moms but they're sisters). He gets out of jail and Doreen (his sister/cousin) picks him up to live with her for a few days, couple weeks, tops. Great story, hillarious characters, superb writing.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

After spending three years in jail, Bobby is let out and goes to live with his sister Doreen and her kids. He's supposed to make a new life for himself, and his intentions are good, but he keeps messing up and messing up the lives of the people around him.

I liked that the book was written in Bobby's voice. He was likeable and I wanted to see him succeed.