"MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA: Summers on the Lonely Isle" by Kirby Wright; Lemon Shark Press, 330 pages, $19.95

Viewing the arc of a young life through select formative moments can either add incredible depth or reduce a person to ticks on a time line. In his second novel, Kirby Wright, a Punahou graduate and author of "Punahou Blues," tells a boy's story exclusively through the lens of summers spent on Moloka'i with his wild grandmother. With few exceptions, his life before is excluded, resulting in only a shadowy sense of Jeff, his brother Ben, and their seemingly indifferent parents, and a story bereft of plot and destination.

The novel works hard to paint a descriptive, undeniably affectionate portrait of rural life on Moloka'i, though it sometimes bleeds into nostalgic exaggeration. Touching and amusing anecdotes end up having one-off value and romanticize the culture rather than add depth. And pidgin is rendered phonetically, a well-meaning attempt to accurately capture local inflection that often ends up reading like a Southern accent. The chief narrative hindrance, however, is frequent point-of-view shifts; at times, the book seems narrated with an adult awareness, and at others restricted to the childlike.

But while as a profound coming-of-age tale the book may fall short, Wright's novel will inform visitors and entertain those who can't get enough stories of past life in the Islands.

"GOOD THINGS" by Mia King; Berkley Books, 340 pages, $14

When a person loses everything, one expects her to embark on a path of growth and self-reliance. Big Island resident Mia King's ambitious protagonist faces just this sort of transition: 40 and single, Dierdre just lost her hit Seattle television show, roommate and apartment, and has little to show for her work, unless you count an expensive car and several pairs of Manolo Blahniks. But instead of using this as a platform of independence, Dierdre hidesin a country cabin.

Echoes of horror-film scenarios aside, and although this relocation inevitably works out well for Dierdre, it has unfortunate consequences for the novel. The story line has the potential to launch an insightful exploration of career change, simple living and autonomy, but the narrative becomes mired in the realm of soap opera, obvious devices and plot points requiring suspension of disbelief.

King's lucid prose is the book's salvation. Thus "Good Things" is able to hold its own as a lighthearted romance about one woman's transition from corporate fame to a more stable life, even if she doesn't learn from her mistakes.

"SUSHI FOR ONE?" by Camy Tang; Zondervan; 346 pages, $12.99

Some say 30 is the new 20, but not if you're Lex Sakai, Camy Tang's single, volleyball-obsessed protagonist. Lex is her family's next OSFC (oldest single female cousin) and her Japanese grandmother, who is funding the girls' volleyball team Lex coaches, has decided that she must marry. . First, though, Lex has to find a boyfriend . The problem? Lex hasn't dated for eight years, since a past incident — undisclosed for much of the novel but nonetheless obvious — led her to fear men and convert to Christianity with three cousins.

This straightforward if somewhat dubious foundation motors the plot of "Sushi for One?," the first in a series of novels by Tang, who grew up in Wahiawa and now lives in the San Francisco area. Despite awkward descriptions and repetition, the prose eventually balances out, and Lex becomes a likeable (if often self-absorbed) gruff character. Yet the issues Tang sets out to explore only cursorily populate the story.

Where Tang's novel finds solid ground is in the frank, amusing exploration of a sheltered girl's transition to aware, independent living, shedding fears and pushing forward even in the face of intense challenges.

Read more of Christine Thomas' reviews at www.literarylotus.com.