Between Sky and Sea: A Family’s Struggle

Fiction. Asian & Asian American Studies. Hawai'i Interest. An episodic novel set in contemporary Hawai'i about three brothers struggling to negotiate their identities in the wake of cultural loss, drug addiction, and family tragedy. Personal conflict leads K 'eo Teixeira to question choices made while exploring his cultural heritage. He abandons those he cares for, pursues his own path, is ultimately left guilt stricken and alone, in the company of a meth dealer. As rumors of K 'eo's whereabouts surface, Mark, the second oldest, grapples with family responsibilities while seeking independence, a sudden loss forcing him to accept events that are beyond his control. Consumed with grief and anxiety over their family's decay, Elani, the youngest, denies his present, taking on a new identity elsewhere. But when news of his brother's fate leads him to confront his past, Elani returns to discover his future in the wreckage of a life left behind. An account of a family's fight to persevere, capturing the difficulty of recovering what matters most from the depths of what remains when all that's left to find is ashes."