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MAHU
by Neil S. Plakcy
Haworth Press, August 2005
282 pages
$19.95
ISBN: 1560235330
Honolulu police detective Kimo Kanapa'aka is on
the spot when a dead body is dumped behind a gay
bar and the presumed killer drives off. Instead of
quickly sounding an alert and cordoning off the
area, Kimo reports the murder anonymously via 911
and leaves, unable to face explaining to his
fellow officers why he happened to be at a gay
bar.
In checking for a pulse, however, he
has left behind his clear thumbprint on the dead
man's throat. Thus he inevitably outs his presence
anyway. As a consequence, Kimo tackles the case of
who killed tong member Tommy Pang with a double
sense of remorse: that he has failed to live up to
the standards expected of any police officer and
that for the past 16 years he has been incapable
of accepting that he is a mahu (the native term
for a homosexual). |
A hallmark of many gay mysteries is
having the detective solve two puzzles
simultaneously: the case under investigation and
the enigma of his own 'difference.' Kimo says:
"That's the kind of detective I am -- I can't give
up on a case until I finish," and he discovers,
"Each thing I had to do to prove my case was
taking me one step farther out of the closet."
He emerges hesitantly but begins
finally to forge his own identity rather than
trying to fit in with the one imposed upon him
first by his native culture and now by his
colleagues. In doing so, like so many other gay as
well as straight detectives, he comes to accept
the existential loneliness of the human condition.
Suspects in the leisurely-paced case
include a fellow officer who has been showering
his wife with gifts costing far more than he can
afford on his salary. Then there is Tommy Pang's
son and the son's lover, who are clearly involved
in smuggling artifacts of various kinds off the
island. And what is the role of Kimo's own
family's friend of long standing -- though one
with a shady aura about him -- his so-called Uncle
Chin? And how does the aborted bust of a drug deal
fit in?
Generally the reader remains one
step ahead of Kimo in putting together the pieces
of the puzzle, but the author still manages to
sneak in a number of entertaining surprises.
The novel retreads ground that has
perhaps been mined too often in gay mysteries. It
avoids becoming a cliche, however, if for no other
reason because of its setting. The author has a
keen appreciation of the pleasures of the island,
especially the joys of surfing. He has an even
keener appreciation for the many cultures that
make up Hawaii.
Kimo says: "My family's such a
melting pot that I never felt like there was a
group I didn't have at least one relative in,"
though he admits that "being gay was different."
The novel explores the strength of familial ties,
in particular different kinds of relationships
between fathers and sons. For a variety of
reasons, then, the book can be recommended to a
wide audience.
Reviewed by Drewey Wayne Gunn, September
2005
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