Leslie Bailey asked Austin Aslan:

I am currently taking an English literature course and our class just finished reading your book, The Islands. While we were having a discussion about it, one question we all had was about the Hawaiian passages you put throughout the book. What made you add these? Also, we thought that perhaps since this was a YA book that this might deter a young reader from reading it. What are your thoughts on this?

Austin Aslan Hi, Leslie,
Thanks for the questions. I love the Hawaiian passages throughout the book. The language is so beautiful and very integral to the Hawaiian culture. I do not know the language myself, so my only recourse for using it in the story was in the form of already-know passages. I haven't heard of any reader being turned off by them. Readers overwhelmingly enjoy them. Also: slang, or "pidgin." I didn't use too much of this in the book, because that can deter readers as the dialogue becomes hard to decipher or read quickly. But I tried to provide a sampling. I think in real life, at least in parts of the book, the real use of pidgin would be heavier than I portrayed it.

flag