To Paradise

The narrative switches to the voice of David’s father, who is also named David Bingham but most often goes by Wika. Wika Bingham is now in a healthcare facility in Hawaii and has not seen his son for a long time. Wika knows that David lives in New York and works in a law firm. He regrets how he has spent his life and wants to reconcile with David “and try to explain to you why I did what I did” (262).

Wika thinks back to his own childhood growing up in a wealthy and illustrious Hawaiian family. His father was a kind, dreamy, and absent-minded man who came from Hawaiian royalty and was considered by some to be the rightful King of Hawaii. Wika’s mother (David’s grandmother) came from a more ambiguous background, although she was adopted by an illustrious family, which led to her marrying Wika’s father. Wika’s mother was stubborn, proud, and very invested in traditions and lineage. Wika’s father died when he was young, leaving him to be raised by his mother.

The narrative flashes back to when Wika was 10, shortly after his father died. He meets a boy named Edward at school.