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The Color of Air
From the New York Times bestselling author of Women of the Silk and The Samurai's Garden comes a gorgeous and evocative historical novel about a Japanese-American family set against the backdrop of Hawai’i's sugar plantations.
Daniel Abe, a young doctor in Chicago, is finally coming back to Hawai'i. He has his own reason for returning to his childhood home, but it is not to revisit the past, unlike his Uncle Koji. Koji lives with the memories of Daniel’s mother, Mariko, the love of his life, and the scars of a life hard-lived. He can’t wait to see Daniel, who he’s always thought of as a son, but he knows the time has come to tell him the truth about his mother, and his father. But Daniel’s arrival coincides with the awakening of the Mauna Loa volcano, and its dangerous path toward their village stirs both new and long ago passions in their community.
Alternating between past and present—from the day of the volcano eruption in 1935 to decades prior—The Color of Air interweaves the stories of Daniel, Koji, and Mariko to create a rich, vibrant, bittersweet chorus that celebrates their lifelong bond to one other and to their immigrant community. As Mauna Loa threatens their lives and livelihoods, it also unearths long held secrets simmering below the surface that meld past and present, revealing a path forward for them all.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2020
662 people are currently reading
9482 people want to read
About the author
Gail Tsukiyama
21 books1,445 followersBorn to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father in San Francisco, Gail Tsukiyama now lives in El Cerrito, California. Her novels include Women of the Silk (1991), The Samurai's Garden (1995), Night of Many Dreams (1998), The Language of Threads (1999), Dreaming Water (2002), and The Street of a Thousand Blossoms (2007).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 668 reviews
July 10, 2020
4+ stars
In December of 1935 the Mauna Loa volcano on the big island of Hawaii was erupting, flowing toward Hilo . On December 27th, in hopes of diverting the flow, the US Army dropped bombs in its path. Hilo was not hit with the flow, so maybe it worked or as Mama Natua, a wonderful character in this novel says “Pele, you old sly one, you finally stopped, eh, showed them fools who’s boss, yeah.” This is a work of historical fiction that highlights this event which actually happened. While, for a good part of the novel, this near disaster looms large, what drew me in was the story of a cast of characters, a close knit group, with a shared history, caring about each other over the years, sharing secrets, protecting each other, some bearing burdens of their past. They are part of a Japanese community whose families came to Hilo seeking a livelihood on the sugar cane and pineapple plantations, to fish the waters. Gail Tsukiyama lovingly depicts the sense of community of lifelong friends.
Koji drives the sugar cane train retired years ago from cutting cane still grieves Mariko, the love of his life and is struggling with a secret he has kept from Mariko’s son, Daniel. Daniel bears a burden as well, and has just returned home after a personal struggle while he was a physician in Chicago. There are other characters to love, Nori, Mariko’s best friend, the aunties who play hearts. We are taken back in years by the “ghost voices” of Mariko and Razor, Koji’s best friend. Their first person narratives read almost like journal entries and provide some clarity to the secrets and regrets held by the others, providing hope to the reader that the burdens of these characters will be lightened.
This is a beautifully written story reflecting history, full of love, the meaning of friendship and community. I was reminded of past trips to Hawaii, perhaps the most gorgeous place I have ever visited.
I received a copy of this book from HarperVia through Edelweiss.
In December of 1935 the Mauna Loa volcano on the big island of Hawaii was erupting, flowing toward Hilo . On December 27th, in hopes of diverting the flow, the US Army dropped bombs in its path. Hilo was not hit with the flow, so maybe it worked or as Mama Natua, a wonderful character in this novel says “Pele, you old sly one, you finally stopped, eh, showed them fools who’s boss, yeah.” This is a work of historical fiction that highlights this event which actually happened. While, for a good part of the novel, this near disaster looms large, what drew me in was the story of a cast of characters, a close knit group, with a shared history, caring about each other over the years, sharing secrets, protecting each other, some bearing burdens of their past. They are part of a Japanese community whose families came to Hilo seeking a livelihood on the sugar cane and pineapple plantations, to fish the waters. Gail Tsukiyama lovingly depicts the sense of community of lifelong friends.
Koji drives the sugar cane train retired years ago from cutting cane still grieves Mariko, the love of his life and is struggling with a secret he has kept from Mariko’s son, Daniel. Daniel bears a burden as well, and has just returned home after a personal struggle while he was a physician in Chicago. There are other characters to love, Nori, Mariko’s best friend, the aunties who play hearts. We are taken back in years by the “ghost voices” of Mariko and Razor, Koji’s best friend. Their first person narratives read almost like journal entries and provide some clarity to the secrets and regrets held by the others, providing hope to the reader that the burdens of these characters will be lightened.
This is a beautifully written story reflecting history, full of love, the meaning of friendship and community. I was reminded of past trips to Hawaii, perhaps the most gorgeous place I have ever visited.
I received a copy of this book from HarperVia through Edelweiss.
March 6, 2020
A stunning historical fiction!!
Gail Tsukiyama writes gorgeously.... interweaving stories about a Japanese American community, set against the backdrop of Hawaii’s sugar plantations...with wonderful characters, and history that is bathed with savoring, blustery, and tactile atmospheric experiences.
From start to finish I was consistently a curious reader - turning pages quickly wanting to know how secretive ties came together.
Present day setting: 1935...
Koji Sanada, now fifty, was ten years old, when his family arrived in Hilo, Hawaii in 1895,...( the big island), along with other immigrant workers who had flocked to jobs on the island’s sugar and pineapple plantations.
They came from Osaka, Japan.
Puli Plantation, was an island of five volcanoes, hot sun, wind, rain, tremors, and quakes.
It was here that Koji met
Mariko Abe.
Mariko had known ‘everything’ mangoes... in the same way that Koji knew sugarcane.
Koji’s sugarcane ‘fast/fastest’ cutting skills had become mythical over the years.
But he retired from cutting cane sixteen years ago. Today he ran the sugar train.
Mariko and Daniel were like Koji’s family - and when everyone mourned Mariko’s death - it was Koji who felt her loss the loudest in his silence.
Daniel Abe, was 18 yrs old, when he went to the mainland to study medicine in Chicago......one of the first Japanese ever accepted. He was returning home to the island as a full-fledged medical doctor. Mariko would’ve been so proud of him.
From Danielle’s perspective it had taken one wrong diagnosis and a costly mistake to bring him back home again.
The aunties and community were excited planning a celebration gathering -which was going to be held at the Okawa Fish Market.
Nori Okawa was in Mariko’s house ( Daniel’s house now), getting things ready for Daniel‘s arrival.
Nori had two sons of her own- Wilson and Mano who followed their father in the fishing business.
Nori always thought of Daniel as her third son... even more so after Mariko passes away from Cancer.
Nori and Mariko had been close since they were little girls.
Koji ( uncle Koji to Daniel), hadn’t been back at the house since Mariko died two years ago. Koji had vowed
years ago to take care of Mariko and Daniel after, Franklin, (husband/father), left.
The faded weather-beaten green bungalow now belonged to Daniel, passed down from his mother-passed down to her by her mother. It had originally been built by Mariko’s grandfather when he first immigrated from Japan. Many memories lived on in that house.
Koji had been wrestling with a secrets for many years... one of those secrets was something that he knew he needed to tell Daniel. It was time. He knew he couldn’t protect him forever.
As Daniel’s boat was just arriving, the volcano, Mauna Loa, was just beginning to rumble.
Life on the island could change in a heartbeat… both. literally and figuratively.
As Mauna Loa, was brewing, threatening lives...we follow Daniel, Koji, Mariko, and Maile , ( once Daniel’s girlfriend when they were in high school),
and others in this close-knit community....
through the past, and present days...
unfolding are secrets, betrayal, traditions, friendships, joys, sorrows, complexities of the heart, memories, forgiveness, and healing.
I found it very enchanting enjoying the purity of children playing games they learned
from local fishermen.
From the aunties, locals, the fish market, a treasured beloved mango tree, the foods, men lingering on the streets, surprises, and personal stories....
we are literally transcended to another place and time....
with characters we come to know and love.
“The Color of Air”, with its beautiful prose..... and the vastness of the world that Gail created
is a book to treasure.
Gail Tsukiyama writes gorgeously.... interweaving stories about a Japanese American community, set against the backdrop of Hawaii’s sugar plantations...with wonderful characters, and history that is bathed with savoring, blustery, and tactile atmospheric experiences.
From start to finish I was consistently a curious reader - turning pages quickly wanting to know how secretive ties came together.
Present day setting: 1935...
Koji Sanada, now fifty, was ten years old, when his family arrived in Hilo, Hawaii in 1895,...( the big island), along with other immigrant workers who had flocked to jobs on the island’s sugar and pineapple plantations.
They came from Osaka, Japan.
Puli Plantation, was an island of five volcanoes, hot sun, wind, rain, tremors, and quakes.
It was here that Koji met
Mariko Abe.
Mariko had known ‘everything’ mangoes... in the same way that Koji knew sugarcane.
Koji’s sugarcane ‘fast/fastest’ cutting skills had become mythical over the years.
But he retired from cutting cane sixteen years ago. Today he ran the sugar train.
Mariko and Daniel were like Koji’s family - and when everyone mourned Mariko’s death - it was Koji who felt her loss the loudest in his silence.
Daniel Abe, was 18 yrs old, when he went to the mainland to study medicine in Chicago......one of the first Japanese ever accepted. He was returning home to the island as a full-fledged medical doctor. Mariko would’ve been so proud of him.
From Danielle’s perspective it had taken one wrong diagnosis and a costly mistake to bring him back home again.
The aunties and community were excited planning a celebration gathering -which was going to be held at the Okawa Fish Market.
Nori Okawa was in Mariko’s house ( Daniel’s house now), getting things ready for Daniel‘s arrival.
Nori had two sons of her own- Wilson and Mano who followed their father in the fishing business.
Nori always thought of Daniel as her third son... even more so after Mariko passes away from Cancer.
Nori and Mariko had been close since they were little girls.
Koji ( uncle Koji to Daniel), hadn’t been back at the house since Mariko died two years ago. Koji had vowed
years ago to take care of Mariko and Daniel after, Franklin, (husband/father), left.
The faded weather-beaten green bungalow now belonged to Daniel, passed down from his mother-passed down to her by her mother. It had originally been built by Mariko’s grandfather when he first immigrated from Japan. Many memories lived on in that house.
Koji had been wrestling with a secrets for many years... one of those secrets was something that he knew he needed to tell Daniel. It was time. He knew he couldn’t protect him forever.
As Daniel’s boat was just arriving, the volcano, Mauna Loa, was just beginning to rumble.
Life on the island could change in a heartbeat… both. literally and figuratively.
As Mauna Loa, was brewing, threatening lives...we follow Daniel, Koji, Mariko, and Maile , ( once Daniel’s girlfriend when they were in high school),
and others in this close-knit community....
through the past, and present days...
unfolding are secrets, betrayal, traditions, friendships, joys, sorrows, complexities of the heart, memories, forgiveness, and healing.
I found it very enchanting enjoying the purity of children playing games they learned
from local fishermen.
From the aunties, locals, the fish market, a treasured beloved mango tree, the foods, men lingering on the streets, surprises, and personal stories....
we are literally transcended to another place and time....
with characters we come to know and love.
“The Color of Air”, with its beautiful prose..... and the vastness of the world that Gail created
is a book to treasure.
July 18, 2020
***NOW AVAILABLE***
3 1/2 rounded up to a 4 for stellar writing.
Samurai’s Garden and The Women of the Silk hold very special places in my heart. I was therefore eager to read the author’s new novel.
The novel begins with the arrival home of Daniel, an islander who went to Chicago, became a doctor and after two years of practice is now coming back to Hilo. His uncle Koji is anxious to see him, he played an important part in his upbringing after his Daniel’s biological father left the family. Nori, one of his “aunties” is getting the family home ready for him. He has inherited his mother, Mariko’s, home which has been sitting idle since her death. No one really questions Daniel’s return, which I thought a little strange. At any rate he has a secret that he will share later, the real reason why he left his practice in Chicago.
Maile, another islander, has also returned home. She left to begin a new life on the mainland but is back for her own reasons, which will be explained in the novel. She was Daniel’s high school girlfriend and his first love.
The homecoming is occurring at the time that the volcano Mauna Loa (or Pele as the islanders call her) is erupting. There are many legends surrounding this volcano as she has erupted many times in the past. Daniel himself was born during one of these eruptions in 1907.
Koji and Nori have things that they need to tell Daniel, they had been waiting until the right time, and that time is now.
With so much talk about secrets and with the eruption actually taking place, I had expected some sense of suspense and expectation. Sadly I didn’t get this feeling. The islanders almost seem to take the eruption in stride, going about their everyday lives, barely planning for an exodus if needed. It isn’t until the last quarter of the book, as the lava seems to be heading their way, that there was any sense of anxiety and tension.
The book is beautifully written. The descriptions of the island’s flora were intense and I could almost feel the oppressive heat and humidity. I would have liked to have learned more about the sugar cane plantations, besides the fact that the workers slaved away cutting cane for very low pay. It was interesting to learn that there were Japanese, Chinese and Filipinos that came to Hawaii to work on the plantations and in the fishing industry.
This is a great story of friendship, love, community and heritage which moves at a rather slow pace. I had a few false starts before I started to get into the characters. Although I enjoyed the story, none of the characters really tugged at my heart as they did in the author’s previous novels. I would still recommend this book as a lovely story about part of Hawaii’s history.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
3 1/2 rounded up to a 4 for stellar writing.
Samurai’s Garden and The Women of the Silk hold very special places in my heart. I was therefore eager to read the author’s new novel.
The novel begins with the arrival home of Daniel, an islander who went to Chicago, became a doctor and after two years of practice is now coming back to Hilo. His uncle Koji is anxious to see him, he played an important part in his upbringing after his Daniel’s biological father left the family. Nori, one of his “aunties” is getting the family home ready for him. He has inherited his mother, Mariko’s, home which has been sitting idle since her death. No one really questions Daniel’s return, which I thought a little strange. At any rate he has a secret that he will share later, the real reason why he left his practice in Chicago.
Maile, another islander, has also returned home. She left to begin a new life on the mainland but is back for her own reasons, which will be explained in the novel. She was Daniel’s high school girlfriend and his first love.
The homecoming is occurring at the time that the volcano Mauna Loa (or Pele as the islanders call her) is erupting. There are many legends surrounding this volcano as she has erupted many times in the past. Daniel himself was born during one of these eruptions in 1907.
Koji and Nori have things that they need to tell Daniel, they had been waiting until the right time, and that time is now.
With so much talk about secrets and with the eruption actually taking place, I had expected some sense of suspense and expectation. Sadly I didn’t get this feeling. The islanders almost seem to take the eruption in stride, going about their everyday lives, barely planning for an exodus if needed. It isn’t until the last quarter of the book, as the lava seems to be heading their way, that there was any sense of anxiety and tension.
The book is beautifully written. The descriptions of the island’s flora were intense and I could almost feel the oppressive heat and humidity. I would have liked to have learned more about the sugar cane plantations, besides the fact that the workers slaved away cutting cane for very low pay. It was interesting to learn that there were Japanese, Chinese and Filipinos that came to Hawaii to work on the plantations and in the fishing industry.
This is a great story of friendship, love, community and heritage which moves at a rather slow pace. I had a few false starts before I started to get into the characters. Although I enjoyed the story, none of the characters really tugged at my heart as they did in the author’s previous novels. I would still recommend this book as a lovely story about part of Hawaii’s history.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
March 28, 2023
During a six week period in 1935, the Mauna Loa volcano on the island of Hawai’i has erupted and its lava flow threatens the town of Hilo.
A small circle of friends, since childhood, reflect on community, love, loss and past choices made during the endless wait for Pele to stop the lava approaching their town and water source.
A moving story once again beautifully in the deft hands of Gail Tsukiyama.
A small circle of friends, since childhood, reflect on community, love, loss and past choices made during the endless wait for Pele to stop the lava approaching their town and water source.
A moving story once again beautifully in the deft hands of Gail Tsukiyama.
July 19, 2020
5 stars
Gail Tsukiyama is an author I’ve been wanting to read for awhile. I’ve had a copy of her most famous work, Women of the Silk , on my bookshelf for years, but unfortunately haven’t had the chance to read it yet. Well, that might change now after reading her newest work The Color of Air , which I enjoyed to the point that I want to go back and explore her backlist while waiting impatiently for her next work.
I love the way Tsukiyama writes — in a style that is quiet and gentle, yet the story still packs a punch. With this book, Tsukiyama takes her time with the narrative — slowly, chapter by chapter, we learn about the Japanese-American family at the center of the narrative, but more than that, we also learn the stories of those around them, all members of the close-knit community in the town of Hilo, Hawaii. Set against the historical context of the Mauna Loa volcano’s eruption in 1935, this event was woven beautifully into the story, with its juxtaposition against the return of the town’s beloved young doctor Daniel Abe and the secrets that slowly come to light, both within the family and in the community. A sense of anticipation permeates the story — both in terms of the aftermath of the eruption (the question of the lava flow’s direction and what will happen to those in its path) as well as the revelation of long-held secrets within the family and the community —and we are left to wonder, as the story progresses, what the path forward will be for all the characters. From a historical perspective, Tsukiyama also weaves into her narrative the lesser known history of Asian indentured servitude on Hawaii’s sugar plantations. Uncle Koji’s story of how his family arrived in Hawaii from Japan as contracted immigrant workers on the plantations -- a stint that was only supposed to last 3 years but turned into a lifetime. Related to this, there is also Razor’s story and what happened to him as one of the workers on the plantations, snippets of which are shared through Koji’s memories of his best friend, but also through Razor’s own “voice” at the end of some of the sections. The way that the past and present blended together so seamlessly, this worked well from a narrative structure perspective.
Speaking of the characters, this was one of those rare instances where I loved the entire cast of characters, whether major or minor. Each character was unforgettable and grew fonder to me with the progression of the story from one chapter to another and all the way through to the end. Daniel, Koji, Samuel, Wilson and Mano, all were great characters, but the ones that left the biggest impression on me were the women in the story – Mariko, Nori, Mama Natua, Maile, Leia, the Hilo Aunties. I was moved by the strong bond that they all shared – an unbreakable bond that continued to endure not only through all of life’s ups and downs, but also was strong enough to even transcend death. One of the unique aspects of Tsukiyama’s storytelling is her ability to portray all her characters with such tenderness and compassion. These are characters who endure a lot, plus there are the complicated family dynamics, the conflicts, the drama that inevitably follows, yet the underlying message of hope and resilience is so strong. At its core, this is also an immigrant story, but one that is lovingly told as well as rooted in hope from the getgo.
I enjoyed everything about this book, from the characters, the story, and of course, the incredibly atmospheric writing. The lush descriptions of the island’s landscape, as well as its history and people, gave such a tremendous sense of time and place – to the point that the setting came alive almost as though it were a character itself. Loved this one and definitely recommend it!
Received ARC from HarperCollins (HarperVia) via NetGalley.
Gail Tsukiyama is an author I’ve been wanting to read for awhile. I’ve had a copy of her most famous work, Women of the Silk , on my bookshelf for years, but unfortunately haven’t had the chance to read it yet. Well, that might change now after reading her newest work The Color of Air , which I enjoyed to the point that I want to go back and explore her backlist while waiting impatiently for her next work.
I love the way Tsukiyama writes — in a style that is quiet and gentle, yet the story still packs a punch. With this book, Tsukiyama takes her time with the narrative — slowly, chapter by chapter, we learn about the Japanese-American family at the center of the narrative, but more than that, we also learn the stories of those around them, all members of the close-knit community in the town of Hilo, Hawaii. Set against the historical context of the Mauna Loa volcano’s eruption in 1935, this event was woven beautifully into the story, with its juxtaposition against the return of the town’s beloved young doctor Daniel Abe and the secrets that slowly come to light, both within the family and in the community. A sense of anticipation permeates the story — both in terms of the aftermath of the eruption (the question of the lava flow’s direction and what will happen to those in its path) as well as the revelation of long-held secrets within the family and the community —and we are left to wonder, as the story progresses, what the path forward will be for all the characters. From a historical perspective, Tsukiyama also weaves into her narrative the lesser known history of Asian indentured servitude on Hawaii’s sugar plantations. Uncle Koji’s story of how his family arrived in Hawaii from Japan as contracted immigrant workers on the plantations -- a stint that was only supposed to last 3 years but turned into a lifetime. Related to this, there is also Razor’s story and what happened to him as one of the workers on the plantations, snippets of which are shared through Koji’s memories of his best friend, but also through Razor’s own “voice” at the end of some of the sections. The way that the past and present blended together so seamlessly, this worked well from a narrative structure perspective.
Speaking of the characters, this was one of those rare instances where I loved the entire cast of characters, whether major or minor. Each character was unforgettable and grew fonder to me with the progression of the story from one chapter to another and all the way through to the end. Daniel, Koji, Samuel, Wilson and Mano, all were great characters, but the ones that left the biggest impression on me were the women in the story – Mariko, Nori, Mama Natua, Maile, Leia, the Hilo Aunties. I was moved by the strong bond that they all shared – an unbreakable bond that continued to endure not only through all of life’s ups and downs, but also was strong enough to even transcend death. One of the unique aspects of Tsukiyama’s storytelling is her ability to portray all her characters with such tenderness and compassion. These are characters who endure a lot, plus there are the complicated family dynamics, the conflicts, the drama that inevitably follows, yet the underlying message of hope and resilience is so strong. At its core, this is also an immigrant story, but one that is lovingly told as well as rooted in hope from the getgo.
I enjoyed everything about this book, from the characters, the story, and of course, the incredibly atmospheric writing. The lush descriptions of the island’s landscape, as well as its history and people, gave such a tremendous sense of time and place – to the point that the setting came alive almost as though it were a character itself. Loved this one and definitely recommend it!
Received ARC from HarperCollins (HarperVia) via NetGalley.
October 23, 2020
“Living on an island created by volcanoes meant accepting both the beauty and the beast.” As Mauna Loa is erupting for days, volcanic fog blankets the sky, the scent of sulfur fills the air, and citizens keep a watchful eye on the volcano. During those volcanic eruptions, the characters are being revealed, which is a slow process.
This story is character driven, thus has a weak plot. That’s not a problem when you have strongly developed characters. There was something interesting about them and yet I wasn’t fully engaged with them. Thus, the story was a slow read for me.
I do enjoy the writing of this author and I’ve noticed that with some of her books it takes a bit to get into a story. I was hoping the same would be here, but I struggled to connect with this story. I still recommend giving this book a try as it may work for you. I also highly recommend reading other books by this author. My favorite book by her remains to be The Samurai’s Garden.
This story is character driven, thus has a weak plot. That’s not a problem when you have strongly developed characters. There was something interesting about them and yet I wasn’t fully engaged with them. Thus, the story was a slow read for me.
I do enjoy the writing of this author and I’ve noticed that with some of her books it takes a bit to get into a story. I was hoping the same would be here, but I struggled to connect with this story. I still recommend giving this book a try as it may work for you. I also highly recommend reading other books by this author. My favorite book by her remains to be The Samurai’s Garden.
April 17, 2020
Gail Tsukiyama is one of my favorite writers of historical fiction. This new novel, her first in several years, was worth the wait. It's set in Hawaii, both in the early part of the last century, and in the mid 1930's. Koji has always loved Mariko, but she married Franklin, who turned out to be a selfish parasite who left her and their young son Daniel. Koji was happy just being part of their lives, but nothing has been easy. As a cane cutter on the sugar plantations owned by wealthy haoles (foreigners, usually white), he and the other workers were underpaid and overworked. There are secrets and tragedies that eventually come to light as the Mauna Loa volcano threatens to envelop the village in molten lava. Highly recommended for fans of well-researched historical fiction. If you liked Alan Brennart's Molokai or enjoy the novels of Lisa See and Amy Tan, give this new novel a try. I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to review this ARC .
April 11, 2020
Gail Tsukiyama has always been a favorite author of mine so when I saw that she had written a new book I was so excited. The Color of Air was written beautifully and was exactly what I would have expected from her. She has a way with her descriptions that bring the settings in her books to life. Her character development was equally as brilliant I loved that The Color of Air transported me back to a time and place that felt familiar yet not at all. There was a duel time frame. Most of the book took place in a quiet Hawaiian town in the 1930’s. The memories or “ghost stories” that some of the characters in The Color of Air shared about people that had passed were from the early 1900’s. Many of the main characters knew each other growing up and continued to be friends into adulthood. The inhabitants of the town of Hilo were now second or third generation. Most of the original settlers had come from Japan but there were also Chinese, Filipino and Portuguese families. Sugar cane plantations and fishing were the main industries. Hilo was the kind of town where everyone knew one another and looked out for each other.
As the story began, the entire community of Hilo town was anticipating Daniel’s return. Daniel was Mariko’s only son. Mariko had died from cancer two years prior. Daniel had left Hilo when he was eighteen years old in order to get his education on the mainland. Now he was returning as a doctor. Everyone was proud of him. He was the first Hilo born boy to become a doctor and he had been one of the first Japanese to be admitted to his medical school. There would be a welcome home party for Daniel at the Okawa Fish Market. It was owned and run by Nori Okawa, one of Daniel’s mother’s (Mariko) oldest and dearest friends and her husband Uncle Samuel. Koji Sanada would also be there. Growing up, Koji was like a father to Daniel. Daniel’s biological father left him and his mother when Daniel was. very young. Uncle Koji, as Daniel called him, was always there for him and Mariko. Wilson and Mano, Nori and Samuel’s sons would meet Daniel at the dock and bring him to the welcome party. The three boys practically grew up together.
Hilo town was located on an island created by volcanoes. Mauna Loa or Pele had picked this time to become active. Great huffs of smoke could been seen emerging from her “ only to be chased by a spewing red-hot curtain of lava that blew from fissures hundreds of feet into the air” and she was causing the ground to shake. The people of Hilo town knew that the only thing they could do at this point was worry and wait to see what Mauna Loa would choose to do. As Daniel’s boat approached the dock, he also watched the rising smoke and “bright blood orange curtain of lava that shot upward toward the darkening sky”. Daniel had been born in 1907 when there had been another eruption from Mauna Loa but he was unprepared to witness it tonight as he was returning to Hilo. Daniel was returning to Hilo but harbored a secret that was eating away at him. The other person who had returned to Hilo at the same time as Daniel was Maile, his high school girlfriend. She, too, was harboring a secret. Koji and Nori had their own secrets as well. Over the course of the story, all the secrets would be revealed.
The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama was a heartfelt book about family, love, secrets, trust, grief, shame, romance and a sense of community. It was well written and gave each character in the story an air of familiarity, like you really knew them. I liked the feelings of anticipation I felt waiting for each secret to be revealed and how satisfied I felt when they were revealed and shared. The ending left me hoping that perhaps Gail Tsukiyama would write a sequel to The Color of Air. The Color of Air will be published in July of 2020. I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama from Harper Collins Publishers, Gail Tsukiyama and Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
As the story began, the entire community of Hilo town was anticipating Daniel’s return. Daniel was Mariko’s only son. Mariko had died from cancer two years prior. Daniel had left Hilo when he was eighteen years old in order to get his education on the mainland. Now he was returning as a doctor. Everyone was proud of him. He was the first Hilo born boy to become a doctor and he had been one of the first Japanese to be admitted to his medical school. There would be a welcome home party for Daniel at the Okawa Fish Market. It was owned and run by Nori Okawa, one of Daniel’s mother’s (Mariko) oldest and dearest friends and her husband Uncle Samuel. Koji Sanada would also be there. Growing up, Koji was like a father to Daniel. Daniel’s biological father left him and his mother when Daniel was. very young. Uncle Koji, as Daniel called him, was always there for him and Mariko. Wilson and Mano, Nori and Samuel’s sons would meet Daniel at the dock and bring him to the welcome party. The three boys practically grew up together.
Hilo town was located on an island created by volcanoes. Mauna Loa or Pele had picked this time to become active. Great huffs of smoke could been seen emerging from her “ only to be chased by a spewing red-hot curtain of lava that blew from fissures hundreds of feet into the air” and she was causing the ground to shake. The people of Hilo town knew that the only thing they could do at this point was worry and wait to see what Mauna Loa would choose to do. As Daniel’s boat approached the dock, he also watched the rising smoke and “bright blood orange curtain of lava that shot upward toward the darkening sky”. Daniel had been born in 1907 when there had been another eruption from Mauna Loa but he was unprepared to witness it tonight as he was returning to Hilo. Daniel was returning to Hilo but harbored a secret that was eating away at him. The other person who had returned to Hilo at the same time as Daniel was Maile, his high school girlfriend. She, too, was harboring a secret. Koji and Nori had their own secrets as well. Over the course of the story, all the secrets would be revealed.
The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama was a heartfelt book about family, love, secrets, trust, grief, shame, romance and a sense of community. It was well written and gave each character in the story an air of familiarity, like you really knew them. I liked the feelings of anticipation I felt waiting for each secret to be revealed and how satisfied I felt when they were revealed and shared. The ending left me hoping that perhaps Gail Tsukiyama would write a sequel to The Color of Air. The Color of Air will be published in July of 2020. I highly recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama from Harper Collins Publishers, Gail Tsukiyama and Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 10, 2020
Full disclosure: Gail Tsukiyama is a dear friend. This is a lovely book, filled with the kind of tenderness for which Gail's books are known. In the novel, she takes us to Hilo, Hawai'i at two periods of time: 1918 and 1935. Her historical details are terrific and her sense of place is quite amazing in that she doesn't live there. She fills her locations with evocative sensory details that not only pull the reader back in time but also allow the reader to experience the settings every bit as if the reader were there. The book pays homage to a period of time during which people lived lives made difficult by poverty, isolation, and a form of racism that kept individuals tied to backbreaking work in the sugar plantations. Choices were limited in every area of life: education, marriage, profession, health. But the people in the novel endure, because what binds them to the place--Hilo, Hawai'i--also binds them to each other. The book is about loyalty, family, culture, and myth. It will be published in the summer 2020 and I highly recommend it.
September 29, 2020
"Like this island, I'm already remaking myself. Look and you will find me everywhere, in the rocks, in the water, in the color of the air."
-Mariko's Ghost Voice
The 1935 eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii's Big Island is the backdrop for the return of Daniel Abe to the village of Hilo. Daniel had become a physician in Chicago, but he now has doubts about his career. Japanese immigrants came to the island to work on the sugar plantations and fish, and formed a close community where they helped each other like a family.
The author writes beautifully about Hawaii's natural world--the fragrance of ripe mangoes, the lush vegetation, the gorgeous beaches, the sulfurous smell and rumblings of the volcano, and the hot molten lava. But the island also has workers doing backbreaking work cutting cane in the hot sun for little pay, bothered by insects, snakes, and tough bosses.
The story revolves around David, his deceased mother Mariko, his father who left them, and his Uncle Koji. Mariko was the only woman that Koji ever loved, and the kind man acted as a second father to Daniel. When Daniel returns home, secrets are revealed about his family and close friends.
The people of Hilo are hard working and compassionate with every generation helping others in their large community. Flashbacks and the ghost voices of the deceased show us the bonds that were first established in the early 20th Century. "The Color of Air" is a lovely story with characters to care about. Readers will be hoping that the fire goddess Pele spares Hilo from the rivers of lava.
-Mariko's Ghost Voice
The 1935 eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano on Hawaii's Big Island is the backdrop for the return of Daniel Abe to the village of Hilo. Daniel had become a physician in Chicago, but he now has doubts about his career. Japanese immigrants came to the island to work on the sugar plantations and fish, and formed a close community where they helped each other like a family.
The author writes beautifully about Hawaii's natural world--the fragrance of ripe mangoes, the lush vegetation, the gorgeous beaches, the sulfurous smell and rumblings of the volcano, and the hot molten lava. But the island also has workers doing backbreaking work cutting cane in the hot sun for little pay, bothered by insects, snakes, and tough bosses.
The story revolves around David, his deceased mother Mariko, his father who left them, and his Uncle Koji. Mariko was the only woman that Koji ever loved, and the kind man acted as a second father to Daniel. When Daniel returns home, secrets are revealed about his family and close friends.
The people of Hilo are hard working and compassionate with every generation helping others in their large community. Flashbacks and the ghost voices of the deceased show us the bonds that were first established in the early 20th Century. "The Color of Air" is a lovely story with characters to care about. Readers will be hoping that the fire goddess Pele spares Hilo from the rivers of lava.
November 19, 2023
In Chicago, Daniel had seen hordes of weary people living on the streets with nowhere to sleep and little to eat, but still, he was startled. He was reminded of what Uncle Koji had told him the night of his homecoming party when he asked how the plantations were doing in these hard times. (PG 50)
Hawaii, alternating stories from 1912 to present 1930s. A very melancholy story about Japanese Americans and their struggles to keep their traditions but to respect their new way of life on the Island. In the present time the story goes on about people with secrets but in the background there is the Mauna Loa volcano ready to erupt.
It's a story about people and their hurts and greatest desires. There's a character in this for everyone. The characters all have flaws but are well developed as the story continues.
This is my first novel by this author and most likely not my last.
Hawaii, alternating stories from 1912 to present 1930s. A very melancholy story about Japanese Americans and their struggles to keep their traditions but to respect their new way of life on the Island. In the present time the story goes on about people with secrets but in the background there is the Mauna Loa volcano ready to erupt.
It's a story about people and their hurts and greatest desires. There's a character in this for everyone. The characters all have flaws but are well developed as the story continues.
This is my first novel by this author and most likely not my last.
September 13, 2024
Sep 12, 1120am ~~ Review asap. I had a hard time settling into this story and need to figure out why before I write anything.
Sep 13, 11am ~~ I wanted and expected to love this book. I have enjoyed two others by the same author so I knew she would tell a good story here, but somehow I could never connect with the characters or their situations. There were a lot of shifting points of view and flashbacks, and I confess I was a bit too tired mentally this last week to be able keep the narrative straight as I read. Maybe after some quality down time I will be better able to track it all.
The actual timeline for the book is from November 1935 to July 1936 but we get a lot of backstory details for the characters also. There was a sugar plantation with labor disputes going on, there were relationship dramas between this one and that one, hidden love in the present and various secrets from the past to be dealt with. The story was interesting, but I never really got as involved as I usually get in such tales.
My timing was off for this one, simple as that. I thought this was my final Tsukiyama title but I do have one more after all. I will give it a go one of these days when I have a bit more mental oomph. And I will give this book another try Someday also. It does deserve a second chance.
Sep 13, 11am ~~ I wanted and expected to love this book. I have enjoyed two others by the same author so I knew she would tell a good story here, but somehow I could never connect with the characters or their situations. There were a lot of shifting points of view and flashbacks, and I confess I was a bit too tired mentally this last week to be able keep the narrative straight as I read. Maybe after some quality down time I will be better able to track it all.
The actual timeline for the book is from November 1935 to July 1936 but we get a lot of backstory details for the characters also. There was a sugar plantation with labor disputes going on, there were relationship dramas between this one and that one, hidden love in the present and various secrets from the past to be dealt with. The story was interesting, but I never really got as involved as I usually get in such tales.
My timing was off for this one, simple as that. I thought this was my final Tsukiyama title but I do have one more after all. I will give it a go one of these days when I have a bit more mental oomph. And I will give this book another try Someday also. It does deserve a second chance.
October 19, 2023
I was born and raised in Hilo, so I've known the town and the island from as far back as the 40s and 50s (and up to the present, of course).
The prose is OK, although the pidgin is poorly rendered. It's rare for "yeah" to be spoken mid-sentence. Almost always, it's at the end. The pidgin seems mostly pidgin imagined by someone who never spoke it or never listened carefully, or never ran the dialog past a pidgin speaker.
The plot is strained but is, I suppose, believable. (That there was an eruption in 1935 is not an issue.)
What grated on me were the seemingly-endless series of errors about Hilo, the island, the volcano, the plantations, and the Japanese community.
Here are few examples of really, seriously, careless locational research. Remember, the novel's set in 1935 and 1918. And yet we find:
-- coqui (introduced mid-1990s
-- green geckos (introduced 1970s)
-- dead dog picked at by crows (the Hawaiian crow was almost extinct, even in 1935)
-- nene geese (again, almost extinct at that time)
Having people on a ship in Hilo Bay able to see lava fountains and flows on the part of Mauna Loa where the 1935 eruption happened is simply not possible. A red glow -- sure. The rest could never have happened. The visit to the lava flow is poorly rendered (I've been around lava flows and even run away from them, so I do know what I'm talking about).
She writes as though, in 1935, the Saddle Road existed more or less in its present form, such that her characters could hop into a truck and drive up to the flow. No. Although there were some tracks/trails used by ranchers, what we know as the Saddle Road was built during WWII.
And more about volcanos -- she cribbed from a Hawaii Volcanos Observatory paper published in 2019, about the 1881 flow. But she didn't realize that the roads the HVO writers (one of whom I know well) were describing simply did not exist in 1935 -- that road (Komohana) was built around 1970. And yet characters talk about Komohana.
I could go on and on, but I'll finish with the most egregious of all her errors: there's no mention (even indirectly) of the absolute center of Japanese society in Hilo -- the settlement of Shinmachi. She writes about the areas near Shinmachi but seems to never have heard anything about it. You simply could not have been a Hilo Japanese person and not known about Shinmachi and what was there and how it functioned. Shinmachi was a vibrant community up until the 1960 tsunami. Many of my Hilo High classmates lived in Shinmachi.
Leaving out Shimachi in a book about Hawai'i Japanese is like writing a novel about Jews in NYC in 1935 and failing to mention the Lower East Side. It's that bad.
We've all heard about "cultural appropriation." This is "locational appropriation."
And quite spectacular carelessness. It would seem that she's gotten away with it, which to me is disgraceful. What annoys me the most is reading reviews that praise her historical setting. These presumably are reviewers who, like the author, know little or nothing about historical Hilo.
The prose is OK, although the pidgin is poorly rendered. It's rare for "yeah" to be spoken mid-sentence. Almost always, it's at the end. The pidgin seems mostly pidgin imagined by someone who never spoke it or never listened carefully, or never ran the dialog past a pidgin speaker.
The plot is strained but is, I suppose, believable. (That there was an eruption in 1935 is not an issue.)
What grated on me were the seemingly-endless series of errors about Hilo, the island, the volcano, the plantations, and the Japanese community.
Here are few examples of really, seriously, careless locational research. Remember, the novel's set in 1935 and 1918. And yet we find:
-- coqui (introduced mid-1990s
-- green geckos (introduced 1970s)
-- dead dog picked at by crows (the Hawaiian crow was almost extinct, even in 1935)
-- nene geese (again, almost extinct at that time)
Having people on a ship in Hilo Bay able to see lava fountains and flows on the part of Mauna Loa where the 1935 eruption happened is simply not possible. A red glow -- sure. The rest could never have happened. The visit to the lava flow is poorly rendered (I've been around lava flows and even run away from them, so I do know what I'm talking about).
She writes as though, in 1935, the Saddle Road existed more or less in its present form, such that her characters could hop into a truck and drive up to the flow. No. Although there were some tracks/trails used by ranchers, what we know as the Saddle Road was built during WWII.
And more about volcanos -- she cribbed from a Hawaii Volcanos Observatory paper published in 2019, about the 1881 flow. But she didn't realize that the roads the HVO writers (one of whom I know well) were describing simply did not exist in 1935 -- that road (Komohana) was built around 1970. And yet characters talk about Komohana.
I could go on and on, but I'll finish with the most egregious of all her errors: there's no mention (even indirectly) of the absolute center of Japanese society in Hilo -- the settlement of Shinmachi. She writes about the areas near Shinmachi but seems to never have heard anything about it. You simply could not have been a Hilo Japanese person and not known about Shinmachi and what was there and how it functioned. Shinmachi was a vibrant community up until the 1960 tsunami. Many of my Hilo High classmates lived in Shinmachi.
Leaving out Shimachi in a book about Hawai'i Japanese is like writing a novel about Jews in NYC in 1935 and failing to mention the Lower East Side. It's that bad.
We've all heard about "cultural appropriation." This is "locational appropriation."
And quite spectacular carelessness. It would seem that she's gotten away with it, which to me is disgraceful. What annoys me the most is reading reviews that praise her historical setting. These presumably are reviewers who, like the author, know little or nothing about historical Hilo.
December 24, 2020
Set mostly in 1935 in the small town of Hilo, Hawaii, protagonist Daniel has returned after studying on the mainland, becoming a doctor, and practicing medicine in Chicago. It is a character-driven novel, focused on Daniel, his stepfather, ex-girlfriend, aunt, and aunt’s mother. Daniel and his ex-girlfriend may reunite. They have each had a recent traumatic experience. The specter of the volcanic eruption of Mauna Loa looms over the scene as does the question of what happened to Daniel’s father, who abandoned the family many years before. I enjoyed the historic setting and found this book pleasant enough, but it lacks zest.
July 20, 2021
What I love about the book is that there is a subplot for everyone. If you've had a relative challenged by dementia or Alzheimer's, you see how Mama Natua's family tries to cope with the help of Daniel, the Hilo native and urban Chicago doctor who has returned to the island to work among his people. Daniel himself wrestles with paternal abandonment, maternal loss, and the guilty sting of feeling that he failed a patient on the mainland. His high school sweetheart, Maile, has an abusive relationship in her past and is tentative about finding happiness again. Razor, the best friend of Daniel's uncle Koji, tries to unionize the immigrant workers who are taken advantage of by the sugar and pineapple plantation owners and overseers. Each person has their secrets and struggles, yet all come together to find solutions. That's one of the best things about Tsukiyama's novels: the sense of love, community, and found family that permeates each page, with characters who learn to face and overcome their fears in order to adapt and grow.
Another strength is the remarkable visual and sensual imagery of the island, which is like a living being itself: "just as volatile and unpredictable as anything a big city could offer" (48). The native Hawaiian words interspersed throughout give the reader a sense of the geology, the fruit, the pikake blossoms, the music of the Filipino bands in the town, and the diversity of languages spoken on the island (at one point, she notes that signs on the street were printed in Tagalog, Portuguese, and Japanese). Hawai'i is truly a distinct cultural melding of sounds, sights, and scents, and Tsukiyama's descriptive language conveys its unique beauty.
My mother-in-law was a huge fan of Gail Tsukiyama, and for Mother's Day this year, my father-in-law gave me all her copies of her books. A lovely gift that speaks to the kind of traditions passed from generation to generation that Tsukiyama shares in this novel.
Another strength is the remarkable visual and sensual imagery of the island, which is like a living being itself: "just as volatile and unpredictable as anything a big city could offer" (48). The native Hawaiian words interspersed throughout give the reader a sense of the geology, the fruit, the pikake blossoms, the music of the Filipino bands in the town, and the diversity of languages spoken on the island (at one point, she notes that signs on the street were printed in Tagalog, Portuguese, and Japanese). Hawai'i is truly a distinct cultural melding of sounds, sights, and scents, and Tsukiyama's descriptive language conveys its unique beauty.
My mother-in-law was a huge fan of Gail Tsukiyama, and for Mother's Day this year, my father-in-law gave me all her copies of her books. A lovely gift that speaks to the kind of traditions passed from generation to generation that Tsukiyama shares in this novel.
September 8, 2020
Another exquisite read by Gail Tsukiyama. She always delivers a beautiful story - evocative and loaded with sensory detail but without being fussy. Highly recommend.
August 14, 2020
Told in two timeframes, this lovely family saga is a great example of graceful writing by Gail Tsukiyama. Focusing on the immigrant population of Hilo, Hawaii, brought in to work the sugar plantations, she weaves a tapestry woven by disparate characters against the 1935 eruption of Mauna Loa, ending each section with "ghost voices" that go back decades to narrate the backstories that led to current events. Tsukiyama is a wonderful storyteller, who in a recent Zoom exchange addresses her Chinese/Japanese heritage, as she writes from both cultural points of view. She revealed she'd read once that Japanese had more in common with English, and the Chinese, Italians. Here she addresses the diverse population of Hawaii, most particularly the Japanese community, and does so beautifully.
April 21, 2020
THE COLOR OF AIR
BY GAIL TSUKIYAMA
I thought that this historical novel set in Hilo, which is a village in Hawaii which shifts back and forth in time from 1918 and 1935 was a pure effervescence and gentle read. I met Gail Tsuliyama many years ago and found her to be a kind and gentle soul. It was at an Author reading and book signing event at what was called the Newtonville Bookstore which is right outside of Boston. I bought and have read all of her earlier books and found this one to be just as good but different. So when I saw that she had a new book coming out I was excited to read it.
As a backdrop in this lush village sits the Mauna Loa volcano getting ready to erupt as Daniel who is Mariko's only son returns from Chicago where he studied and became a doctor. Mariko has already passed away from cancer and his father Franklin was absent from his life since he was a young boy. His honorary Uncle Koji was always like a second father to him and when Daniel returns they reunite. His younger sweetheart Maile returns from Honolulu and they slowly rekindle their long ago romance.
The descriptions of the smell of the molten lava spewing from the mouth of the volcano has the people in this village fearing that they might have to evacuate throughout the novel. The lush descriptions of the setting is so vivid I could smell the briny, salty ocean, taste the guava juice and mangoes that were a tradition for picking every year. The character's were beautifully rendered of a community where everyone knew each other and looked after one another. Gail Tsukiyama lovingly renders her characters to be kind and gentle just like she is.
Sugar cane plantations are described as a way for the men to make a modest living as much as fishing.
I really was transported back in time and felt like I was part of the storytelling. We get snippets of Mariko's voice as the novel alternates between time periods. Uncle Koji really loved Mariko and Daniel and he took good care of them in Franklin's absence. I highly recommend this to readers who love historical fiction. Five Stars.
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Thank you to Net Galley, Gail Tsukiyama and Harper Collins Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#TheColorOfAir #GailTsukiyama #HarperCollinsPublishing #NetGalley
BY GAIL TSUKIYAMA
I thought that this historical novel set in Hilo, which is a village in Hawaii which shifts back and forth in time from 1918 and 1935 was a pure effervescence and gentle read. I met Gail Tsuliyama many years ago and found her to be a kind and gentle soul. It was at an Author reading and book signing event at what was called the Newtonville Bookstore which is right outside of Boston. I bought and have read all of her earlier books and found this one to be just as good but different. So when I saw that she had a new book coming out I was excited to read it.
As a backdrop in this lush village sits the Mauna Loa volcano getting ready to erupt as Daniel who is Mariko's only son returns from Chicago where he studied and became a doctor. Mariko has already passed away from cancer and his father Franklin was absent from his life since he was a young boy. His honorary Uncle Koji was always like a second father to him and when Daniel returns they reunite. His younger sweetheart Maile returns from Honolulu and they slowly rekindle their long ago romance.
The descriptions of the smell of the molten lava spewing from the mouth of the volcano has the people in this village fearing that they might have to evacuate throughout the novel. The lush descriptions of the setting is so vivid I could smell the briny, salty ocean, taste the guava juice and mangoes that were a tradition for picking every year. The character's were beautifully rendered of a community where everyone knew each other and looked after one another. Gail Tsukiyama lovingly renders her characters to be kind and gentle just like she is.
Sugar cane plantations are described as a way for the men to make a modest living as much as fishing.
I really was transported back in time and felt like I was part of the storytelling. We get snippets of Mariko's voice as the novel alternates between time periods. Uncle Koji really loved Mariko and Daniel and he took good care of them in Franklin's absence. I highly recommend this to readers who love historical fiction. Five Stars.
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Thank you to Net Galley, Gail Tsukiyama and Harper Collins Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#TheColorOfAir #GailTsukiyama #HarperCollinsPublishing #NetGalley
June 10, 2020
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book-- it turned out to be a beautiful heart-felt story. The characters were well developed and I felt like I knew each of them. The story portrays several relationships in a small Hawaiian village of Hilo. A volcano is rumbling and threatening the town and seems to set the pace of the story. The characters in the story are all tied together by their history, families, sugar and pineapple plantations, and the volcano they refer to as Pele. The story begins with Koji and Nori preparing the home of their deceased friend Mariko for the return of her only son, David. David returns to Hilo with secrets of his own and learns that everyone has secrets that burden them. A little guidance from a beloved elder woman in the village helps her friends discover that secrets shared can help heal the hurt.
June 10, 2020
It has been so long since I read a book by Gail Tsukiyama. I was beyond excited when I was given the opportunity to read the ARC of her newest book The Color of Air. Samurai’s Garden was the first book by Tsukiyama that I read and to this day it is still one of my favorites.
The entire time I was reading The Color of Air I had a tug of war going on in my brain, trying to figure out how my review would go. I so wanted to love this book. While i did like it I did not love it. I loved the characters. I loved Koji, he has a heart of gold and kept the community together. I loved Mariko and the love she had for her son Daniel and her friends. I loved how everyone in their Japanese-American community looked out for each other. I loved their loyalty to each other and their protectiveness of each other and how they loved each other like family.
The story takes place in Hawaii on a sugar plantation. Koji immigrated from Japan to Hawaii with his family when he was eight years old, so that his parents would have work. The story is beautifully written, but lacks suspense and excitement. It does not go into a lot of detail about the plantations, the unions or the volcanoes but does touch on these things. If your looking for a beautifully written story about community, friendship, loyalty and love you will enjoy this read.
I finished this book feeling sad that I did not love it more
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The entire time I was reading The Color of Air I had a tug of war going on in my brain, trying to figure out how my review would go. I so wanted to love this book. While i did like it I did not love it. I loved the characters. I loved Koji, he has a heart of gold and kept the community together. I loved Mariko and the love she had for her son Daniel and her friends. I loved how everyone in their Japanese-American community looked out for each other. I loved their loyalty to each other and their protectiveness of each other and how they loved each other like family.
The story takes place in Hawaii on a sugar plantation. Koji immigrated from Japan to Hawaii with his family when he was eight years old, so that his parents would have work. The story is beautifully written, but lacks suspense and excitement. It does not go into a lot of detail about the plantations, the unions or the volcanoes but does touch on these things. If your looking for a beautifully written story about community, friendship, loyalty and love you will enjoy this read.
I finished this book feeling sad that I did not love it more
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2021
“[T]he very color of the air in the place I was born was different, the smell of the earth was special, redolent with memories of my parents.”
-- Natsume Soseki
This is the epigraph for Gail Tsukiyama's novel The Color of Air. It takes in her lyrical writing about the island and the theme of memory threaded throughout the novel.
"The sun wouldn't rise for another hour or more, and Mama loved this time just before dawn when night slowly lightened into day and secrets were revealed. During her early morning foraging, the air was still cool and moist. Mama swung her hips and moved down the road with the same urgent sway of the trees to the incessant music of pomfret, pomfret from the coqui frogs and the steady chorus of cicadas."
Tsukiyama also incorporates the issues of domestic violence, labor politics, rape, and dementia into her story. She does not, however, allow them to dominate the novel; she lets her characters and their relationships take center stage. She allows them the space to develop the novel's most important themes of community and extended family.
This novel is flawed by its many historical inaccuracies. I decided to consider it a total work of fiction instead of getting hung up on what is true to the time period and what is not.
3 stars for its wonderful sense of place and gentle character-filled storytelling.
"Like this island, I'm already remaking myself. Look and you will find me everywhere, in the rocks, in the water, in the color of the air."
-- Mariko's Ghost Voice
May 15, 2021
A gorgeous sweeping historical fiction intertwined with a family saga that had simply beautiful prose.
Following a disgraced doctor who flees Chicago to his native Hawaii just as the local volcano starts to erupt; we follow him and his family through time as we unravel long buried secrets.
The characters, prose and narrators were brilliant.
This was a simple story but an exquisite one
Following a disgraced doctor who flees Chicago to his native Hawaii just as the local volcano starts to erupt; we follow him and his family through time as we unravel long buried secrets.
The characters, prose and narrators were brilliant.
This was a simple story but an exquisite one
June 29, 2020
I liked a lot of aspects of this novel. The setting and the characters brought back my personal memories of visiting my grandmother in Hawaii. The manner in which the characters speak and the expressions used, reminded me of my grandmother and others in Hawaii. I could almost smell the place and was reminded of my own past. Unfortunately, I didn't feel a strong connection to the characters which left me feeling a little unsatisfied. I would have liked more character development in order to be fully engrossed in their world.
October 19, 2020
There 👏 were 👏 no 👏 coqui 👏 frogs 👏 in 👏Hilo 👏 back 👏 then
(And Daniel needs to grow the f up)
(And Daniel needs to grow the f up)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2023
2.5
There were too many characters to keep track of, especially listening to an audiobook.
I didn't 'feel' for any of the characters.
There were too many characters to keep track of, especially listening to an audiobook.
I didn't 'feel' for any of the characters.
September 14, 2020
I had high hopes for Gail Tsukiyama’s The Color of Air but was sorely disappointed. I felt as if it were a slow-moving contemporary story of unrequited love and unsettled family secrets merely adapted to a Japanese American community in Hilo, Hawaii in the 1930s. I caught several significant anachronisms (coquis didn’t exist there until very recently!) which were easy enough to ignore, but it is hard to read a book written about that time and place without any substantive acknowledgement of the immigrant experience. My own grandmother arrived there in 1920 as a picture bride, so she would have been about the same age as the son, Daniel.
June 26, 2020
THE COLOR OF AIR portrays the Japanese-American community set against the background of sugar plantation in Hilo, Hawaii 1930's. Daniel was born in Hawaii and he was finally returning home after becoming doctor in Chicago. Koji and his family immigrated from Japan and he ended up working with sugar cane. He has always loved Mariko, Daniel's mother, who was married to his friend Franklin.
Stunningly written, the story transported me to the lush village of Hilo - through evocative descriptions, I was mesmerized by the festival, food, culture and geology but most importantly the community. This small town was filled with people who were a big family in which every component, including Maura Loa (Pele) volcano, made this place beautiful. The captivating characters were crafted in depth and I couldn't help but care for each one of them.
Tsukiyama interweaves the stories of Daniel, Koji and Mariko through multiple narrators and alternating timeline - Daniel's inner struggles and the big contrast in his life between the quiet island and rushed Chicago were accurately explored ; I particularly loved Koji's deep emotions that elevated his character as a pure yet realistic soul, also his perseverance was truly inspiring; in addition, I was fully invested in Mariko's memories which were present in every page.
I was moved by the friendships and found the sisterhood between the Hilo aunties a strong bond that added another layer of preciousness to the plot. The author did a fabulous job at examining themes of work exploitation, sorrow, betrayal, love, family secrets and healing. The writing was lyrical in a way that made me feel like I was in Hilo - the air of familiarity provided an intimate reading experience.
I didn't want this book to end and I am excited to read what Tsukiyama writes next.
[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review ]
Stunningly written, the story transported me to the lush village of Hilo - through evocative descriptions, I was mesmerized by the festival, food, culture and geology but most importantly the community. This small town was filled with people who were a big family in which every component, including Maura Loa (Pele) volcano, made this place beautiful. The captivating characters were crafted in depth and I couldn't help but care for each one of them.
Tsukiyama interweaves the stories of Daniel, Koji and Mariko through multiple narrators and alternating timeline - Daniel's inner struggles and the big contrast in his life between the quiet island and rushed Chicago were accurately explored ; I particularly loved Koji's deep emotions that elevated his character as a pure yet realistic soul, also his perseverance was truly inspiring; in addition, I was fully invested in Mariko's memories which were present in every page.
I was moved by the friendships and found the sisterhood between the Hilo aunties a strong bond that added another layer of preciousness to the plot. The author did a fabulous job at examining themes of work exploitation, sorrow, betrayal, love, family secrets and healing. The writing was lyrical in a way that made me feel like I was in Hilo - the air of familiarity provided an intimate reading experience.
I didn't want this book to end and I am excited to read what Tsukiyama writes next.
[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review ]
December 27, 2020
I hadn’t read a book set in Hawaii before, I think. I loved the setting of this novel, therefore, where a volcano fumes on an island called Hilo. I have always liked Tsukiyama, and there’s something about her writing that captivates me.
‘The Color Of Air’ was a bit hard for me to concentrate. I think it’s just because of the quality of my scrambled mind rather than the fault of the book itself. Elements of magical realism and an honest exposition of simmering relationships made for an engrossing read.
‘The Color Of Air’ was a bit hard for me to concentrate. I think it’s just because of the quality of my scrambled mind rather than the fault of the book itself. Elements of magical realism and an honest exposition of simmering relationships made for an engrossing read.
June 30, 2020
I always like reading about a world I know nothing about. The sugar cane plantations and the Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese immigrants that worked them before WW2 is just that. I loved that the story centered around men and women who were lifelong friends with a shared history and secrets. The story takes place on the big island, Hawaii in the little town of Hilo and the Puli plantation up the mountain. The story is about three friends and is told back and forth between their teens and early 20s and later in their lives...probably late 50s. The backdrop is the eruption of the Mauna Loa volcano and its possible flow toward Hilo. Its a good read and Ms. Tsukiyama tells a good story.
June 23, 2020
Such a beautifully written story of family and community that reflects the strength of bonds when challenged by natural disaster (volcano eruption), the great depression (set in the 1930s), unfair labor practices (sugar cane plantations in Hawai'i worked by Japanese, Chinese, and Filipinos brought to Hawai'i with false promises), and, of course, personal relationships. The sense of place is amazing and I wished I could actually smell the fruit and flowers she beautifully describes. It was impossible to not fall in love with the characters. Just a lovely, low-key novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC to read and review.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC to read and review.
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