Hawaii: A Novel

Hawaii: A Novel by James A. Michener

Michener novels go very long. Each chapter could easily be a standalone novel. Hawaii explores the history of Hawaii as a work of historical fiction. It starts with the early formation of the South Pacific islands and the plants and animals that arrive there. Then it goes onto the life on Bora Bora. This first part is perhaps the most "fiction" part of it. A difficult life is described on the island, with a group wanting to escape the difficulties and human sacrifice to find a new location. They set off blindly and eventually establish life in Hawaii.

The next section describes early missionaries. They came from New England and had to make a months-long trip around South America to arrive. They worked hard on civilizing and converting the natives. They did have success in eliminating some of the more negative parts of the culture and getting converts to Christianity. However, the converts were somewhat loose. While some did integrate with the Hawaiians, the primary preacher kept his family apart. They would go to church with the people, but would not generally associate with them.

The book then focusses more on the business and politics. At first it was often white mariners or missionaries that would settle and work on business ventures. Eventually, an irrigation system was set up (bringing rain from wet to dry side of islands.) This opened up the need for plantation labor. There was a wave of Chinese immigrants. This group worked hard and set up their own commerce. They also freely intermarried with Hawaiians, while still maintaining Chinese ties. Next came the Japanese. They tended to be more tightly intertwined with their group. They were more likely to become involved in government offices. There were also European (especially Portuguese) and other immigrants. These get mentioned in passing, but not with the detail of the Chinese or Japanese.

Hawaii became a true multi-ethnic area, with many groups intermingling, while still maintaining their identity. The people had various foibles. In the narrative, the narrative tends to follow the more flawed characters, while there is often another character that will try to convince them of the "better" way to do things. There are various bits of subterfuge needed to accomplish goals (such as making Hawaii part of the US). Though eventually, there is a reckoning. The book finally ends with Hawaii becoming a US state.

This is the second Michener book I've read, and it feels a lot like the previous one. The people seem to be quite similar to those in the other book, even though they occupy a very different time and place. Is this a statement on the universality of humanity or is it an unintentional flaw?