The descendants

by Kaui Hart Hemmings. 2008.

Hemmings’ first novel is narrated by Matt, a Hawaiian lawyer. Matt’s wife Joanie is lying in a coma after a boat-racing accident. Matt must pick up the pieces of his life, and try to reconnect with his two daughters, Scottie, ten, and Alex, eighteen. Hemmings’ characters are completely believable, and she has a gift for dialogue - the teenage slang, the adult banter, the Hawaiian phrasing are all note-perfect. As Joanie’s condition deteriorates, Matt and the girls go on a half-assed journey to uncover the secrets in Joanie’s life. Funny, moving and perceptive, and with plenty of side-swipes at the vacuity of American cultural influence, this novel should strike a chord with an Australian readership. The ending is perfectly arrived at.

- John.