West of Then by Tara Bray Smith
WEST OF THEN is a stunning literary debut from a fiercely accomplished writer. At the centre of WEST OF THEN is Karen Morgan, beautiful island flower, fifth generation white Hawaiian, Mayflower descendant - now a homeless junkie living on the streets of downtown Honolulu. Despite her waywardness, Karen still inspires fierce loyalty and love in her three daughters - until she goes missing in the spring of 2002. Devastated, Tara, the eldest, sets out to find - and hopefully save - her mother. Her journey is about what you give up when you try to renounce your past, whether personal, familial, or historical, and what you gain when you confront it. By turns tough and touching, Smith's modern detective story unravels the rich history of America's fiftieth state, as well as the realities of modern Hawaii, its sizable homeless population, its drug culture, its generous, diverse humanity and astonishing beauty. In this land of so many ghosts Tara's search for her mother becomes a reckoning with herself, her family and with the meaning of home.
"West of Then is a daughter's memoir both appalling and inspiring...She does not write with a grievance, or with a need for moral vindication, but with the gravity of love."
-- Susannah Moore, Vogue
"In a book that mingles a rainbow of intoxicating Hawaiian memories with the multigenerational story of her family's disintegration, Ms. Smith winds up capturing all the strain and anger and messiness of the trouble she faces."
-- Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Tara Bray Smith's words lift off the page, hot and lucid, like the light of the islands she loves. Far, far more than a memoir, this is an anthem for hope and survival wrapped in startling, sometimes surprising poetry. Read this book and then keep it close to you; you'll want to read it again and again."
-- Alexandra Fuller, author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
"To read Smith is...a pleasure like that of reading Joan Didion."
-- Elle
-- Susannah Moore, Vogue
"In a book that mingles a rainbow of intoxicating Hawaiian memories with the multigenerational story of her family's disintegration, Ms. Smith winds up capturing all the strain and anger and messiness of the trouble she faces."
-- Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Tara Bray Smith's words lift off the page, hot and lucid, like the light of the islands she loves. Far, far more than a memoir, this is an anthem for hope and survival wrapped in startling, sometimes surprising poetry. Read this book and then keep it close to you; you'll want to read it again and again."
-- Alexandra Fuller, author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
"To read Smith is...a pleasure like that of reading Joan Didion."
-- Elle
Tara Bray Smith was born and raised in Hawaii. She now lives and writes in New York City. She is the author of West of Then and Betwixt.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780743236805 |
| ISBN 10 | 0743236807 |
| Title | West of Then |
| Author | Tara Bray Smith |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year published | 2006-01-16 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |