Children of a Fireland A Novel Author:Gary Pak "HARRY AND ELLA HAVE NOT DONE IT IN EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS." "PAUL NAVARRO AND CASSIE CHUN USED TO MEET EVERY THURSDAY IN ROW FORTY-FOUR." "WHERE IS DICKEY BOY JR.?" The inhabitants of sleepy old Kanewai town are rudely awakened when these and other disturbing messages begin showing up on the wall of the abandoned movie theater. No one knows ... more »who's behind the mischief, but everyone is speculating as frantic attempts are made to cover up the graffiti and repair the damage done to the reputations of friends, family, and the "victims" themselves. Is it the ghost of Casey Akana, the theater's original owner, come back to slander the people of Kanewaiin particular Hiram Ching, whose father had bankrupted him in the good old days after the war? Threats, armed vigilantesnothing can stop the offensive remarks from appearing. After Ching mysteriously drops dead of a heart attack, even the town priest is baffled and gives into pleas for an exorcism. But when Father Fonseca falls to his death from the theater's roof, the townspeople lose their only savioror so they think until more ugly secrets are revealed and further hypocrisy is exposed. Combining a sure sense of place with an unmatched ear for "local" dialogue, Gary Pak gives us not only a thoroughly entertaining story of contemporary Hawai`i, but also a thoughtful look at what happens when people are forced to confront the past and gain a better understanding of themselves and their communitya place they have for too long taken for granted.« less