The Pohaku, Jasmin Iolani Hakes
The Pohaku, Jasmin Iolani Hakes
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The Pohaku
A Novel

Author: Jasmin Iolani Hakes

Narrator: Jolene Jaxon

Unabridged: 9 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperVia

Published: 02/03/2026

Synopsis

From the award-winning author of Hula, a dazzling saga about the generations of women tasked with protecting the history and place that made them.A young woman lies comatose in a hospital, watched by her estranged grandmother. Mystery surrounds the woman’s fall—did she jump off the cliff, or was she swept away by a wave? Her grandmother suspects it is linked to the pōhaku, an ancient stone that their family was tasked with protecting.In this novel spanning generations across Hawai`i and California, it soon becomes clear that the pōhaku’s story must sur­vive if there is to be any hope of the fam­ily’s reconciliation with their home, with nature, and with each other.Reminiscent of Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, and Tommy Orange’s There, There, The Pōhaku is an immersive and bold novel about the his­tory, perseverance, and resilience of the Hawaiian people.

About Jasmin Iolani Hakes

Jasmin Iolani Hakes was born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i. She is the author of the novel Hula, and her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and the Sacramento Bee. She is the recipient of the Best Fiction award from the Southern California Writers Conference, a Squaw Valley LoJo Foundation Scholarship, a Writing by Writers Emerging Voices fellowship, and a Hedgebrook residency. She worked throughout college as a professional luau dancer. She lives in California.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Stacey Reads It All on January 07, 2026

I enjoyed The Pohaku overall and found it to be a solid, engaging listen. The story did get a little slogged down in details at times, and there were moments where it felt like it plodded along more than it needed to. Still, for the most part it kept things moving and held my interest. The switches......more

Goodreads review by Jifu on October 11, 2025

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley) This saga tells of the history of Hawaii, a surprising amount of the history of California, and on a grander scale tells a story of the history of fighting to hold on to one's culture and community in the face of seemingly......more

Goodreads review by Jen on October 17, 2025

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. I enjoyed the first third of this book, but once the setting changed from Hawaii to California, I lost the plot and especially in the last third, I was quite confused about what was happening and who was who, and how that connected to the narrator......more

Goodreads review by Sue on October 25, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a review. Across the ages and generations, we the readers learn some Hawaiian history as the author weaves a story of the Pohaku or sacred stone, ohana, and what it means to be Hawaiian. I really enjoyed this book - at......more

Goodreads review by Kimberly on February 26, 2026

The Pohaku by Jasmin Iolani Hakes, narrated by Jolene Jaxon, is not here to coddle you, and honestly, thank goodness for that. Published by HarperVia, with thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy, this novel makes it clear from the start that it values memory, land, and lineage over reader conven......more

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