This collection of short stories traces generations of characters living in Hawai’i, beginning with “Target Island”, which starts in 1948, when Harrison in his crib is covered in broken glass (but miraculously unharmed) when the window shatters from the shockwave of a bomb dropped by US government. When he’s seven years old, he proudly shows his mother what he found on the beach—which she discovers to her horror is a washed up missile. Despite moving to the mainland as an adult, he finds himself pulled back in his retirement, participating in finding and disarming the bombs still lurking on their beaches.
“Target Island” sets the tone for Extinction Capital of the World. Whether in the background or front and center, the US military’s presence in Hawai’i can be felt throughout these stories. Imperialism is a constant hum in these characters’ lives, and Harrison is one of many characters who feels the push and pull between the island he grew up on and the mainland that promises a better, easier life—whether or not that promise is fulfilled.
There are some characters who appear in multiple stories, often just mentioned in passing. It’s a little heartbreaking to see people we rooted for in one story become minor villains in someone else’s narrative, but that also adds to the realism.
I would recommend reading this slowly, spacing out the stories. They’re well written, thoughtful, and often melancholic. Relationships fall apart, parents are abusive or absent, families are strained. There are definitely moments of hope and beauty, but personally, I needed a bit of breathing room between stories.
One story is about a bittersweet summer romance between two teen girls who are the only ones their age on a tiny island. Another follows a single mom whose aunt moves in to help with childcare—but she becomes suspicious that her aunt wants to take her kid away from her. A pregnant woman decides whether she wants to be a mother as she poaches flowers with her partner’s mother. A professional kayaker falls for his Soviet competitor.
There is a lot of casual queerness in this collection; not only do several stories centre queer relationships, but there are also stories where a woman references her wife on the mainland, for example, even though it doesn’t come up again. I always appreciate books where queerness is woven throughout, even when it’s not the central focus.
So, pick up this memorable story collection and learn more about “the extinction capital of the world” while immersing yourself in these characters’ lives. In the acknowledgements, Mariah Riggs says,
“This book is, in many ways, a love letter to the place that raised me, and it would be remiss to not state that this book is being published in the 137th year of the United States of America’s occupation of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. As someone who was born and raised by settlers on Hawai’ian land [Rigg is Samoan-Haole], I understand that my very existence is a direct displacement of kānaka maoli. I am not sure that anything I do or write can ever make up for this. This book, I hope, is a start.”
Content warnings (these are likely incomplete): Child death, death of a parent, abuse, alcoholism, and miscarriage.
