"Boi No Good," by Chris McKinney (Mutual Publishing, $15.95)
Hawaii writer Chris McKinney is often praised for his gritty portrayal of the darker side of paradise, the underbelly of a rapidly changing community.
His previous work — "Mililani Mauka" (2009), "Bolohead Row" (2005) and "The Tattoo" (1999) — has shown that McKinney excels at writing about the disconnected and dissatisfied modern Hawaii man.
For some readers this contrarian perspective may be edgy and refreshing, but many others already know about these things: the lack of affordable housing, overdevelopment, traffic, meth addiction, diabetes, and the list goes on. In some ways the tropes McKinney writes extensively about are just as much a stereotype of island life as plastic palm trees and coconut bras.
However, it’s the little things, the subtle truths, that will resonate most with Hawaii readers. Things like the importance of family and passing down names, or the cultural significance of bones are the kind of details that Kahaluu-raised McKinney is undeniably talented at capturing.
At first glance his new novel, "Boi No Good," seems to be more of the same, centering on characters who grow from troubled childhood to dysfunctional adulthood. In this case the story starts with three neglected and abused kids who live with their dying grandmother in a beat-up old bus. Their drug-addicted mother stops in only to steal yet another Hawaiian bracelet and family heirloom. By the time the children are rescued by a social service agency, they have been living with their grandmother’s corpse for days, subsisting on canned beets and fruit punch.
The powerful imagery of this first chapter stays with you through the whole novel as the narrative follows the journey the children take as they grow up in vastly different foster homes.
Boi is raised by a struggling taro farmer who indoctrinates him in anti-haole sentiments. The family feuds with developers and celebrities building their McMansions on neighboring agricultural land.
Though he steers clear of drugs, Boi is no stranger to fighting and spends some time in a youth detention center.
His brother, Shane, is adopted by rich plantation kamaaina, and the head of the family has big political plans. Shane grows up with the best of everything but has passion for nothing.
The two brothers reunite as adolescents, and it is Shane’s adopted father who inspires Boi to turn his life around and become a cop. Despite his privileged lifestyle that has given him everything, including an Ivy League education, Shane wants only to be like Boi, and even though they are worlds apart, their closeness spawns a sibling rivalry with tragic consequences.
More than just portraying the violent and dark side of Hawaii, "Boi No Good" is ultimately about politics and family — the struggles of those who try to do good for Hawaii while working within a system of self-serving government and business interests, and how it’s both a blessing and sometimes a burden to be so close to those who love you, the nuances of living with their expectations and the inevitable clashes in their pursuit of independence, passion and hope.
The characters in this book are frustrated with the status quo and struggling with change.
These are things we can relate to. These are the reasons to read Chris McKinney’s "Boi No Good."
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Misty-Lynn Sanico is co-founder of HawaiiReads.com Opens in a new tab.
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KENNETH GO’S WINNING REVIEW
Author Chris McKinney once said that, "Hawaii has a bunch of different cultures and cities … but the world sees (us) as a white sand beach and crystal waters."
McKinney, who grew up locally in Kahaluu, noticed in his life that the more recent changes of Hawaii include more influxes of tourists and new facades. Through his novels, he tries to capture the essence of Hawaii’s country and almost primitive persona.
McKinney’s fifth novel, "Boi No Good," addresses the stark contrast between a more darker, edgier side of Hawaii conflicting with an existing privileged social class. The novel follows three siblings who grow up in three very different homes, but are all challenged by adversity and self-realization.
The story opens with the arrival of sibling Chayne-Marcos, who’s placed in the adoptive care of Charles and Helen Knotting, receiving the name Shane Knotting. Helen, once Miss Hawaii, chose to adopt Shane as she begins to age with her beauty and body diminishing.
Charles, who runs for governor, considers himself to be a contemporary Dark Knight who hopes to one day glorify and restore Hawaii.
She, alongside Charles, hope to leave an everlasting legacy of Hawaii that can’t be preserved in a trust fund or any monument erected in their name. Because those won’t last, they know the name "Knotting" can and will.
Existing on another fraction of the island is Shane’s brother Boi. Boi rightfully earned the name Boi Vise Grip and Boi No Good for his big hands and after being pegged as an addict by students and teachers alike. Subsequently, this lead to his expulsion from school.
On top of the already escalating issue, his girlfriend Chastity Fu, eponymously named "Skank Fu and Fu808," was pregnant with their child Nina.
Taro farmer Joe Bolosan and hula dancer Patricia Bolosan adopt and raise Boi. Joe, who loathes the presence of haoles on the islands, wishes that his son Boi will somehow help him live out his dream to eradicate and protest them.
After seeing an image of Shane and his hapa haole family on an online newspaper, Boi immediately recognizes his brother and his envy begins. He longs to have the same privileges. Boi relentlessly works to reconnect with his brother Shane and somehow find their sister Glorya-Maree, whose very existence has seemed to be wiped off the face of the Earth except for the fact that she is still raised by their biological mother.
Several years pass, much has changed. Shane is no longer a skinny helpless boy, but oblivious to his reputation by gaining several hundred pounds and becoming a stout man stumbling into trouble with the law and substance abuse.
Charles, now governor for seven years, has his son often squirm his way out of trouble through the assistance of Boi, now a cop in the force and an honorary member of the Knotting family.
Considered to be more of a son to the Knottings, Boi constantly visits Helen’s bedside and checks up on and carries out the will of the balding Charles Knotting.
The only thing that does remain unchanged and unquenched is the satisfaction of finally finding their sister as they also face the indelible changes of Hawaii.
Audiences will appreciate the realistic perspective of Hawaii that is free from all false misconceptions or pre-existing and misleading notions.
This novel does not disappoint in any way and even refreshes the theme of uncovering a sheltered and hidden Hawaii like McKinney’s previous novels, most notably "The Tattoo."
McKinney paints a portrait that puts the reader on a genuine journey, as the novel’s tagline suggests, "of family, crime and betrayal in a Hawaii of turmoil."
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Kenneth Go is the winner of a book review competition sponsored by Mutual Publishing, the Hawaii Publishers Association and Ka Leo O Hawaii
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