Sara Ackerman's Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers is a great lesson in not judging a book by its cover. "With war on their doorstep, friendship will sustain them": not the jacket cover declaration that would normally have me snatching it off the shelf. Fortunately, I'd seen a better description from my pals at BookBub before I got to the library - plus, any book set in Hawaii earns a few points just for setting. In any case, I digress.
In the prologue, the reader learns that young Ella Iverson has witnessed the disappearance of her father, the town's principal, and it slowly being eaten by the secret. Her mother, Violet, is at a loss as to how to either help her daughter or encourage her to share her torment. Both are distracted by the arrival of marines at Camp Tarawa. One of them just happens to be the brother of Violet's very best friend and boarder, Jean, who bounds into their lives with an exuberance that's been missing since Herman disappeared a year ago. When they realize his fondness for home cooking, they decide to feed the soldiers and earn a little extra at the same time with a pie stand selling only the most delectable creations.
In addition to painting a vivid portrait of life in Hawaii during World War II, Ackerman also deftly handles the many emotions of the soldiers, training by day for battles yet to come on Island X, and enjoying the island culture for all they can in their down time. Similarly, Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers offers a convincing and informative portrayal of interactions between the haole, the Japanese, and the native Hawaiians at a time when the former were vastly outnumbered by the latter two groups.
The romance and mystery are admittedly predictable, but the storytelling here is fantastic. I wasn't surprised in the least to read that many elements of the story are based on the author's grandparents' experiences in Hawaii during World War II. Even the lion.
Four stars.
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