Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Color of Air: A Novel
    The Color of Air: A Novel
    The Color of Air: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Color of Air: A Novel

    Written by Gail Tsukiyama

    Narrated by Brian Nishii and Natalie Naudus

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Women of the Silk and The Samurai's Garden comes a gorgeous and evocative historical novel about a Japanese-American family set against the backdrop of Hawai’i's sugar plantations.

    Daniel Abe, a young doctor in Chicago, is finally coming back to Hawai'i. He has his own reason for returning to his childhood home, but it is not to revisit the past, unlike his Uncle Koji. Koji lives with the memories of Daniel’s mother, Mariko, the love of his life, and the scars of a life hard-lived. He can’t wait to see Daniel, who he’s always thought of as a son, but he knows the time has come to tell him the truth about his mother, and his father. But Daniel’s arrival coincides with the awakening of the Mauna Loa volcano, and its dangerous path toward their village stirs both new and long ago passions in their community.

    Alternating between past and present—from the day of the volcano eruption in 1935 to decades prior—The Color of Air interweaves the stories of Daniel, Koji, and Mariko to create a rich, vibrant, bittersweet chorus that celebrates their lifelong bond to one other and to their immigrant community. As Mauna Loa threatens their lives and livelihoods, it also unearths long held secrets simmering below the surface that meld past and present, revealing a path forward for them all.


    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 7, 2020
    ISBN9780063014886
    The Color of Air: A Novel
    Author

    Gail Tsukiyama

    Born to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father in San Francisco, Gail Tsukiyama now lives in El Cerrito, California. Her novels include Dreaming Water, The Language of Threads, The Samurai's Garden, and Night of Many Dreams.

    More audiobooks from Gail Tsukiyama

    Related to The Color of Air

    Related audiobooks

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Catching Happiness

      Jun 19, 2019

      Catching Happiness
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Touch Of Summer

      Sep 7, 2020

      Leila had found a place she could go. A sandy cove, a short cycle ride from her flat, where she could spread out her beach towel, put on her headphones and watch the sea lap up onto the shore. She wasn’t sure what kept this spot so quiet, when the ot

      5 min read

    • Article

      Losing My Rock

      Jun 19, 2019

      Losing My Rock
      5 min read

    • Article

      The CATCH

      Oct 19, 2022

      The CATCH
      6 min read

    • Article

      128 And Counting . . .

      Jun 3, 2022

      128 And Counting . . .
      4 min read

    • Article

      Winter SUN

      Oct 4, 2022

      Winter SUN
      4 min read

    • Article

      Wayétu Moore

      Jun 15, 2018

      Lai was hidden in the middle of forests when the Vai people found it. There was evidence of earlier townsmen there, as ends of stoneware and crushed diamonds were found scattered on hilltops in the unexpected company of domestic cats. But when the Va

      29 min read

    • Article

      Points Break

      Nov 27, 2022

      Points Break
      7 min read

    • Article

      Winter Sun

      Feb 6, 2020

      Winter Sun
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Way Things TURN OUT

      Jun 3, 2020

      The Way Things TURN OUT
      7 min read

    • Article

      Where the Heart Is

      Jan 7, 2021

      Where the Heart Is
      5 min read

    • Article

      Laughter and Chatter

      Dec 7, 2021

      Laughter and Chatter
      3 min read

    • Article

      THE Dark Light

      Oct 14, 2020

      THE Dark Light
      9 min read

    • Article

      A Gathering In The Kitchen

      Dec 1, 2021

      A Gathering In The Kitchen
      13 min read

    • Article

      The Scarlet PEBBLE

      Feb 7, 2024

      The Scarlet PEBBLE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Now You Know

      Mar 10, 2022

      The humidity was high on this warm, hazy day. People moved slowly. Many sat on their porches, fanning themselves, with a beverage always within arm’s reach. It was going to be a hot summer in Virginia; they had already broken records. In a small gara

      17 min read

    • Article

      Out Of The Blue

      Aug 24, 2021

      Out Of The Blue
      11 min read

    • Article

      3 Things For The Future

      Nov 6, 2017

      3 Things For The Future
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Color of Air

    4/5

    67 ratings10 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I don’t know how I missed this book! The setting is primarily Hilo Hawaii 1935, it involves a number of loosely related Japanese living in Hilo or working on a sugarcane plantation outside of town, and the eruption of Mauna Loa, and the lava flow that threatened Hilo!
      This story is fantastic, the character development and the prose is often short but beautifully descriptive.
      This is a fantastic book!
    • 5/5
      Gail Tsukiyama has been my favourite author ever since Women of the Silk. Her latest novel is a calming, insightful and peaceful read.
    • 3/5
      Set mostly in 1935 in the small town of Hilo, Hawaii, protagonist Daniel has returned after studying on the mainland, becoming a doctor, and practicing medicine in Chicago. It is a character-driven novel, focused on Daniel, his stepfather, ex-girlfriend, aunt, and aunt’s mother. Daniel and his ex-girlfriend may reunite. They have each had a recent traumatic experience. The specter of the volcanic eruption of Mauna Loa looms over the scene as does the question of what happened to Daniel’s father, who abandoned the family many years before. I enjoyed the historic setting and found this book pleasant enough, but it lacks zest.
    • 3/5
      This is a perfectly serviceable work of historical fiction. The author sprinkles in lots of details about the flora, geography, and culture to get a sense of time and place. It is a gentle read, which is nice at face value...until we're introduced to the myriad unsettling issues the characters face, and then the story becomes too bland. There were enough details missing that I, a mainland haole with a very basic understanding of the Big Island, started to wonder who this book is for. (Answer: probably folks who aren't familiar with Hawai'i and want to dip a toe in.) And so here we are again--it's a perfectly serviceable work of historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      1935, Mauna Loa begins to erupt again as Daniel Abe is returning to his home in Hilo, Hawaii. Daniel has been away since he attended medical school and began working in Chicago. Daniel returns to the home that his mother, Mariko lived and died in. He seeks out his Uncle Koji who has worked the sugar cane plantations his whole life for information about his father who disappeared when he was a young boy. Unexpectedly, Daniel's high school girlfriend also returns to Hilo for reasons of her own. Amidst the erupting volcano Daniel finds his place among his hometown once again and reconciles with the past that he left behind.The Color of Air is a beautifully written, powerful story of family, Hawaiian history and the beauty of nature. Daniel's story in 1935 is interwoven with the stories of Mariko and Koji twenty years prior. These perspectives rounded out the view and helped to fill in some missing pieces. Daniel was an interesting character. His family were immigrants to Hawaii from Japan brought to the island to work the cane fields. I was intrigued by this part of the island's history and the blending of the cultures that created strong bonds between the people there. Daniel was also among the first Asian American doctors to study in the United States at the time. The weight of this fact weighed heavily on Daniel. In addition to Daniel discovering and coming to terms with his past, the writing highlights the transformative power of the Hawaiian Islands and the resilience of the people inhabiting them. This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Slow moving but gets there. Another fine Indiespensable selection.My only complaint the now commonplace trick of randomly injecting characters and flashbacks and timelines into a narrative.It is possible for an author, even today, to simply tell a story without seemingly randomly throwing together the chapters as flashbacks or remembrances. Please have the confidence for your story to speak for itself!
    • 2/5
      After years spent in Chicago working as a doctor, Daniel is coming back home. He lives in the home of his deceased mother Mariko. Uncle Koji, Mariko's lover, is excited to see Daniel again. As Daniel arrives, a local volcano begins spewing, threatening their village.This book was extremely slow moving. It had a nostalgic feel, which was a bit off putting. Characters were constantly reliving the past, slowing the book down even further. Although the setting of the book was interesting, the story itself was a bit bland. Overall, a bust.
    • 5/5
      “Homu, suito homu!”1935 on in Hilo, Hawai’i, the Big Island. Home of 5 volcanoes and the Puli Plantation, and “...acres and acres of tall, billowing sugarcane. And immigrants from Japan.This story revolves around Daniel returning to the island after becoming a successful doctor in Chicago. His arrival coincides with the eruption of Mauna Loa, and the threatening lava flow that is a result of it. I really loved the character of Mama Natua, and the camaraderie of the Hilo Aunties and their game of Hearts! And good ol’ Koji, with his loves, losses, and secrets.The plantation, with the company owned store and the labor unrest, was very well described! Sort of a Hawaiian “Grapes of Wrath”!"Over time, Koji came to learn that the only difference between being a town boy and a cane boy was where you lived, not who you were."“They had always put their faith in the natural world, along with the deities who ruled each part of it.”“The sugar plantations were what brought them to the islands, but it wasn’t what made them stay.”I really could post quotes from this book all day! It was an excellent read, and I was heartbroken that it ended. I actually slowed down a bit to savor it. It's how I feel when I read one of Louise Erdrich's awesome books. I got so lost in this author's Hilo, and so attached to the characters, that I almost couldn't let go. And it didn't hurt any that the author eats at Zachary's! I hope I see her there some day to gush over this book!“Hawai’i , Hawai’i the place of my dreams— But what a nightmare— My tears stain the sugarcane like rain.” - from a work song in the ‘cane fields"Look and you will feel me everywhere, in the rocks, in the water, in the color of the air."
    • 4/5
      One of the things I like most about Tsukiyama’s work is her strong, caring characters. She makes the past come to life through the stories of a small group of people. Here it is a community in the sugar cane region of Hilo, Hawaii in the 1930’s. Focusing on the Japanese immigrant community, she tells he tells the story of a family who came in 1895. Told with the background of erupting Moana Kea, it is the story of a community who rallies round one another to survive the power of the Volcano and Fire Goddess Pele.
    • 4/5
      This is a quietly evocative novel about Hawaii during the 1930's, with looks back to earlier days 20 years before. When the story opens, folks in Hilo are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Daniel, who has returned home after becoming a doctor and practicing in Chicago. At the same time, Mauna Loa becomes a very active volcano, threatening to destroy the community of Hilo. It is also learned that Maile, Daniel's high school sweetheart has returned to the island, to everyone's delight. As we become acquainted with the characters, it seems that they all have grief, secrets, and shame from their past. The approach of the volcano's lava seems to bring the secrets out of hiding, freeing the characters to appreciate their community. This isn't a page-turner type of read, but yields a very engaging acquaintanceship with another time and place.