Molokak'i

Brilliantly moving story told by a stumbling author. I truly adored the tale of a young girl contracting leprosy and being send away. I read the book at the same time Katie was reading and when she confessed she was crying at the part she was in I was doubtful I could be moved to tears, but sure enough, the tears did indeed flow. I also, uncharacteristically, liked that the story covered her entire life. I usually feel that those stories have to much smoke and mirrors but it worked here. As for the writing, I just found it a little immature. I felt like he used word choice to highlight the intensity of the moment in a way that felt too rehearsed and mechanical. Like he had a list of literary techniques he should probably fit in to a certain passage. But the writing does not distract seriously from the tale.