The Pohaku: A Novel - Hardcover

Hakes, Jasmin Iolani

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0063421135 ISBN 13: 9780063421134

Publisher: HarperVia, 2026

Synopsis

From the award-winning author of Hula, a dazzling saga about the generations of women tasked with protecting the history and place that made them.

A young woman lies comatose in a hospital, watched by her estranged grandmother. Mystery surrounds the woman’s fall—did she jump off the cliff, or was she swept away by a wave? Her grandmother suspects it is linked to the pōhaku, an ancient stone that their family was tasked with protecting.

In this novel spanning generations across Hawai`i and California, it soon becomes clear that the pōhaku’s story must sur­vive if there is to be any hope of the fam­ily’s reconciliation with their home, with nature, and with each other.

Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Tommy Orange’s There, There, The Pōhaku is an immersive and bold novel about the his­tory, perseverance, and resilience of the Hawaiian people.

About this title

About the Author

Jasmin Iolani Hakes was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. She is the author of the novel Hula, and her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee. She is the recipient of the Best Fiction award from the Southern California Writers Conference, a Squaw Valley LoJo Foundation Scholarship, a Writing by Writers Emerging Voices fellowship, and a Hedgebrook residency. She worked throughout college as a professional luau dancer. She lives in California.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperVia
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0063421135
• ISBN 13: 9780063421134
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320