bookheaven | That Which Feeds Us

That Which Feeds Us by Keala Kendall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I've had a five star read with no notes. This is my first by this author and I loved every bit about it including the suggested non fiction reading into the topics of Hawai'ian history and the effects of colonialism which is the heart of this story. And I thought that was handled very well. A lot of own voices books I've read often feel like a sledgehammer to the face in how the racism is handle (though to be fair that's what racism feels like in the real world).

Lehua is relatively content in Arizona after quitting college and the track team, leaving her twin sister, Ohia behind. She's working with a funeral home preparing the dead and working the crematorium. Ohia and her are in a rift over Lehua's departure only for Lehua to get a strange call saying Ohia is heading to Hawai'i. Her twin is all Lehua has after their teenaged mother gave birth to them and ran back to the islands leaving them to be raised in Arizona by their grandparents (now gone).

Unable to contact Ohia and fearing her sister has gone missing, Lehua goes after her ending up on a tiny island at a highly reclusive, high end resort, accompanied by a girl she met on the docks, a Native named Melia. It's through her we learn Hawai'ian culture and history because Lehua only knows tidbits having never been on the island.

Lehua ends up stranded at the resort. Melia is sent to the workers barracks but Lehua is kept in the mansion turned resort with Chiyo, the manager, Daisy the bizarre servant, Jennifer (whose husband was the real planter as the guests are called but he's passed), Oliver the movie producer, Leigh the marksman and Sascha, the one person Lehua actually knows because she's an online influencer. Heading all of this is Ira Jacobs, the grandson of Horace the original owner, a highly religious and deeply racist man who saw the disposal of Hawai'ian royalty as a good thing and sees people of color as only being good for manual labor.

Melia refers to the island as e'epa, strange, paranormal and from her we learn about the tragic history of the island which I don't want to spoil too much about but trust me it really helps with the gothic vibes. Seriously, this is one of the best gothic literature books I've read in forever. You have the isolated setting, the paranormal hauntings, the creepy people, the sense of creeping dread especially as Lehua becomes more and more sure her sister was here and disappeared (perhaps died) on this island.

The tension is heightened bit by bit masterfully as Lehua investigates, fully believing her sister's trail is still here on the island. She's caught between Sascha's interest and Melia but she has a kinship with Melia who explains why this obviously terrible job means so much to her. It's this or be driven from Hawai'i like so many native Hawai'ians who have been priced out of paradise (including the author). I have had concerns about that for years with Hawai'ian and Mexican resorts giving a paradise experience and being the backbone of the local economy but simultaneously putting the indigenous people on as showpieces and pricing them out of living there (I've seen it where race isn't in play either in the rich eating the poor situations like the beaches in Oregon where shops and restaurants are closing because the workers can't afford to live within 2 hours of the coast and who's driving that far for a crap job?) This becomes a big part of the story both historically and today.

Both Melia and Chiyo/Sascha sow seeds of doubt making Lehua wonder who she trusts. I loved that Lehua's odd job isn't just some weird throwaway in the story. It serves a great purpose. I also love that the ending is tense, scary without Lehua having to do something idiotic to end up in that situation (how many times have I seen that? How annoyed am I every time I do?) It had an excellent ending.

I loved the bits of Hawai'ian folklore and culture woven into this (and the author's admission to not treat this as golden as she took liberties, her author's note is worth reading). I did figure out a lot of it long before Lehua but I'm a middle aged woman who reads a ton so I have experience Lehua doesn't and nor would the YA target audience and don't let the children's publishing imprint put you off. This doesn't feel the least bit YA other than Lehua/Ohia/Melia are all about 18-19 years old. There's no high school YA melodrama in this. It's also relatively low gore (not usually a problem for horror fans) and the gothic vibes are fantastic. I'm looking forward to more by this author. I hope she returns with more Hawai'ian inspired stories (or well any sort of stories. She's an excellent author).

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