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Night Fisher, written and illustrated by R. Kikuo Johnson, chronicles the coming-of-age of Loren Foster, a privileged teen in Hawaii struggling to find his place in life.

What I liked:

• Night Fisher has actually been on my TBR for years, but never quite at the very top, so I was pleasantly surprised when a friend gifted it to me for my birthday. Yes, this is less “what I liked” about the book and more a shout-out to my friend, but it’s my blog, so whatever.
• I am not personally familiar with Hawaii, but from photographs and artwork (and TV ads), I’ve always imagined it to be a lush, colorful place, and it was striking to view it instead through Johnson’s stark, black-and-white panels. I do not know if this medium is typical of all of Johnson’s work, or if he chose it specifically for this story, but I felt the absence of color stripped away any opportunity for the reader to project “paradise” fantasies onto the Hawaiian landscape and people, thus forcing the reader to focus solely on what is happening to Loren and his friends. Johnson’s style, particularly his tendency to situate one or two human figures against a broader natural landscape, reminds me of works by US artist Rockwell Kent. The scenes depicting night fishing, as well as those describing Loren and his dad battling their blooming garden, seem to position humans against nature in a way that suggests nature will always demand its due respect from those who inhabit it. Are the depictions of nature in the book reflective of Johnson’s personal perspective?

What I learned:

• Night Fisher is a departure from the usual coming-of-age stories I read, not that I read many. It’s not a genre I consider among my favorites. Although I cannot relate to the types of activities Loren undertakes in his free time, the apparent aimlessness and try-anything-once mentality that seems to guide many of Loren’s actions was fascinating to watch. It was also disturbing to realize how “easy” it is for kids to stray down paths they may not have intended to follow, simply by virtue of knowing the “right” people.

Questions I had:

• Is Loren’s story relatable to people of Johnson’s age and background? Do today’s teens see any part of themselves reflected in Loren’s thoughts and actions?
• Many of the characters in Night Fisher appear Asian, but few references are made to people’s specific backgrounds. Did Johnson intend Loren to be nikkei, as he himself is?
• It is not clear exactly how many of the characters self-identify as Native Hawaiian. Did Johnson consider Native Hawaiian sovereignty as he was creating this book? As a nikkei person who grew up in Hawaii (with, as far as I can tell, no Native Hawaiian ancestry), how does Johnson situate himself with regard to Native Hawaiian sovereignty?
• Did Johnson envision a specific audience for this book? How did Native Hawaiian readers feel about this book? How is Johnson as an artist/public figure perceived by Native Hawaiians, particularly with regard to how he depicts Hawaii in his work?
• How would Johnson situate himself and his work in the field of nikkei literature? What are his thoughts on the concept of nikkei literature?

Follow-up:

• I am not sure if I will be seeking out more of Johnson’s work, but I am certainly interested in reading more work by nikkei artists who grew up in Hawaii.