Book Title: Coconutty Christmas: Holiday in Hawaii
Author: Ann Omasta
Genre: Romance, Christmas Story
Main Character: Kalea
Story Setting: Hawaii
Story Summary: A Hawaiian local woman named Kalea works the kitchen of a Hawaiian hotel. A tourist named Russ is attracted to her, and she's conflicted in the fact he is from the Mainland and tourists tend to not last long in Hawaii. It could be heartbreaking. A freak storm happens, causing the electricity to go out, so she has to take her kitchen to an open flame to keep the guests fed and entertained. She ends up explaining to Russ about her good friends Kai and Honi, whom he had a little insecurity with.
Review: So many reviews like this short story. I, personally, did not. I thought it had potential. It didn't feel authentic and felt like a very unnatural Hawaii. The only thing Christmas about the story was that they get together at Christmastime. Otherwise, the story is mainly just a beach scene and trying to figure out what to feed the guests and how to entertain this budding romance with Russ. The author used such generic "Hawaii" names such as Leilani, Kai, and Honi, and the lingo was so off. I'd have been more impressed if she chose names like Pi'ilani, Kawika, or Kainoa. Having lived in Hawaii and being married to a man from Hawaii, I know the accent and lingo, and I couldn't hear it in my mind as I read the story.
The author could have used the words, "my braddahs Kai and Honi" or instead of saying, "I'll be with my family, would you like to join us" she could have said something along the lines of, "I going stay wit' my ohana, like come?" The book was so full of ridiculous stereotypes. Coconuts falling left and right out of trees on the beach, a wahine that looks like a dashboard hula dancer, etc. First off, yes, coconuts are ubiquitous to Hawaii, but they aren't easy to find fresh out of the tree. There's one coconut farm in Hawaii. Groves of coconut palms all over the beach cease to exist in the islands. So, it just sounds so inauthentic. I'm surprised she didn't say the pineapples were growing at the beach, too. Kai wanted to know why she was talking to the "ginger." In Hawaii, he most likely would have used the word haole. The guy Russ gives her chills, but in Hawaii she would have said, "He gave me chicken skin." Pidgin is not a cultural stereotype. It's a dialect and the official language of Hawaii. If someone isn't from there or hasn't lived there, I can understand why she wrote the story with such a Mainland image of Hawaiian life.
I mean, the whole story just seemed like cultural stereotypes and it made me cringe. I was hoping to read about the Hawaiian fir trees, or the surfing Santa, or the Christmas parade going through Honolulu. Otherwise, it was "ok." The story line was cute to say the least. That's all I can say. Out of 5 stars, I give it 2. It completely turned me off to short stories. I'm so disappointed as I wanted to like this story more than I did.
