Iliana’s Reviews > This Is Paradise: Stories > Status Update

“The Old Paniolo Way” Another bittersweet entry exploring inter generational family dynamics.

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“Portrait of a Good Father” A bittersweet family tale centered around a photograph. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Thirty-Nine Rules For Making a Hawaiian Funeral Into a Drinking Game” - sweet, sad, funny ruminations at a funeral. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Road to Hāna” — An unsettling moment in an interracial romance between a white man born in Hawaii and a Hawaiian woman born on the mainland. They are on different wavelengths and you can tell they are not supposed to be together and yet they are ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“This Is Paradise” — so infuriating (on many levels) and sad (on many levels). Loved the first person plural format, and the groups of women trying to take care of each other, emphasizing community and the tragedy when you’re without. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️