A novel about a radical wing of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement that blows up a hotel in Waikiki is a finalist in a major online writing competition.

"A Chant of Love and Lamentation" was written by Brian Reeves, who studied at the University of Hawaii in 1994, taught at Chaminade University in 2007 and 2008 and now lives in Portland, Ore.

His self-published book was nominated for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, a contest sponsored by the online retailer, publisher Penguin Group and the self-publishing company CreateSpace. About 10,000 entries were submitted, with judges whittling that number down to six finalists. The final decision will be determined in an online vote (now closed), with the winner announced Saturday.

The judges called Reeves’ book "haunting," "well-researched and readable," and "a story that will stay in the reader’s imagination." The grand prize for the contest is a publishing contract with Penguin and a $15,000 advance.

Reeves said by phone that he learned of sovereignty issues during his year at UH through lingering discussions and events connected to centennial observances of the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy and by studying the writings of sovereignty activists.

"My first response was, ‘This would be a disaster,’" he said. "But then when I looked at it more I thought, ‘Not necessarily. And who am I to decide that anyway?’"

Reeves eventually got his creative writing degrees at mainland universities and worked for the Peace Corps in Guyana. He began writing his novel in 2001, originally envisioning an 800-page "epic monster." His published work is 311 pages and focuses on three characters: Charlie, a taxi driver of mixed race who carries out the bombing; Jeff, a Caucasian real estate agent whose life falls apart after the bombing; and Daniel, a descendant of Hawaiian royalty who seeks restoration of the monarchy. Their lives intertwine as Hawaii spins out of control, leading to riots, political assassination and even international conflict.

Reeves said the novel went in that direction because "I don’t think you could see change happen very fast without some pretty extreme circumstances," such as massive homelessness and other economic deprivation.

"The other thing I had to consider was what would make for an interesting read," he said. "Slow political efforts, petitioning the government and that sort of thing are very realistic but don’t make for the best read."

During his two years as a writing instructor at Chaminade, Reeves drove a taxi in Waikiki for three weeks, which he said gave him some insight into his characters.

"I was desperate for money and I thought that was a way to make some money, but as it turns out it’s not unless you’re ready to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week," he said.

During that period, he met a person who became the model for Jeff, fleshing out a character who previously had been a "typical angry white guy."

The author is well aware the violence in the novel, carried out by people of various ethnicities, could rub local business and community leaders and residents the wrong way, but he is willing to hear from critical readers.

"I just want to put my book out there, and if they like it, they like, if they don’t, they don’t," he said. "I know I’ve chosen to walk a pretty delicate path by writing about this."

"A Chant of Love and Lamentation" by Brian Reeves is available at amazon.com in paperback ($14.39) and for Kindle ($4.99).