West of Then: A Mother, a Daughter, and a Journey Past Paradise

This book is one of the very best books set in Hawai'i that I have read. As a long-time resident of Kaua'i, I read this book with recognition of just about everything described. There were no false notes of someone trying to write about "paradise" like a tourist brochure. Just the true life that most of us who live here, especially haole (caucasian) have experienced. This author in her first book writes with such sensitivity about life in the islands, and in her family in particular, that you feel yourself in whatever space she creates, whether it is a forbidden trip to the island of Ni'ihau, or a visit to her Gamma's Kahala beach cottage on O'ahu. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the real Hawai'i. Such an enjoyable read I never wanted it to end!

West of Then is a very moving memoir about a daughter's love and forgiveness towards her mother. The way Tara Bray Smith superimposes the history of Hawaii with her heartbreaking relationship with her mother is not to be missed. One is left at the end of the book filled with hope all is well between them and will continue that way. BRAVO to Tara Bray Smith on here first book, hope there are lots more to follow.

I just finished West Of Then. I took my time in savoring the exquisite writing in this book. Many times, I had to stop and remember 'This is Tara Bray Smith's first book'. She is amazing with how she somehow simultaneously writes about the past and the present and then adds Hawaiian history--yet it flows easily. The pieces of Hawaiian history were helpful with painting the picture of her memories. It would be hard to imagine growing up in Hawaii, yet she makes me feel what she felt while growing up. So many books' writing seem cliche, as if the same person could have written all of them. I was sad to finish this book-- it was very moving and intelligently written. A gem that I recommend!

"West of Then" expertly weaves together a lauhala mat (hard, sturdy, but not overly decorative) of Hawaiiana, personal tragedy, and a fascinating look at codependence into a sad, gripping tale. I could have been Tara Bray Smith, and she, me. I too am in my mid-thirties, haole, raised in rural Hawaii, and uncomfortable in my white skin; always wished I was Japanese, too. Like Ms. Smith, I moved to the East Coast as soon as possible in order to flee the memories of "paradise" and its serpent: my addict mother. The poignancy of reading about Jackass Ginger, Rap Replinger and Checkers and Pogo (memories of my childhood Hawaii) are matched by the sadness of a daughter always hoping for the perfect mother in the perfect setting. This tale makes me wonder if, among Hawaii's many native fauna, we uncomfortable haole girls with mothers we never stop trying to save, include ourselves. P.S. I am sooo jealous Ms. Smith got to SEVEN islands! I only did six.

While I'm not privy to use the overused term "unflinching" but for some reason, that fits here for Tara Bray Smith's rather impressive debut. And unlike many memoirs, the concept of "place" plays a very important role in the story - Hawaii, in its rich 150 year history of drugs, sugar cane trade, fables, stories and a tradition of language and societal rules, is a character in and of itself. Bray deftly weaves the stories of her ancestors and Hawaiian traditions to the current day narrative - Bray's determined search for her heroin-addicted mother, Karen, through the gritty streets of Chinatown and downtown Hawaii. Because of a sustaining drug habit (Karen has an affinity for heroin but will sample others), the author's mother abandons Bray and her two sisters but manages to drop in and out of their lives, evoking pain and complex love from the daughters. I marveled at Tara's cadence, her language, her "old way" of telling a story and I was taken in, immediately. An absolute recommend!