From the award-winning author of Hula, a dazzling saga about the founding of Hawaii and a magical relic that links the generations of one extraordinary family.

In the present day, a woman lies in a hospital bed, watched over by her attentive, caring grandmother. The young woman was recently at a party and was seen jumping from the roof—but that couldn’t have been what happened, surely? In fits and starts, the grandmother begins to explain to her granddaughter the long tail of their family’s history, nestled in which may be the secret to why hardship and mystery have followed them through the centuries….

Soon, we travel back in time to the 18th century, when the explorer James Cook becomes the first European to visit the Hawaiian Islands. He soon intersects with Kamehameha, the first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. And soon begins a thrilling family saga, as each generation is put in charge of the pohaku, a stone with seemingly magical powers; it is carried from Hawaii to California and possibly beyond, bringing fortune to the good and misfortune to the bad. But with each successive generation, its powers grow, and those who carry it in their lineage—especially the women of the family—are able to channel its powers for good.

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