The thirteen year old protagonist of this coming-of-age story, Alofa, leads an interesting life... or so it seems to me, safely removed from it. In one sense it's not at all extraordinary, as she's very much behaving as all the other girls of her community do and so she's a typical example, presumably, of what it's like for a girl to have a traditional Samoan upbringing. From an outside perspective, though, Alofa's ordinary life is very different. Or at least it's very different to me, who wasn't raised within a society as religious as this one, or with the same cultural expectations. I can't honestly say that I'm sorry. Alofa's a good kid, and the girls around her are good kids, but they still get beaten, frequently and severely, by the adults around them, in order to ensure that the girls conform to what's expected of them. That is, to be obedient and to be chaste. There's more to "good" behaviour than that, of course, but these are the qualities that seem to be brought up most, and as with many coming-of-age stories, this one explores sexuality. It's a difficult subject for Alofa, as she's meant to be wholly ignorant on the subject, but ignorance is no defense, and experimenting with a local boy leads to trouble.

All of which makes this book sound doom-and-teenage-angst, but it isn't really. There's plenty of happy moments, and the relationship between Alofa and her two best friends is well-drawn and appealing. Almost more interesting is the somewhat meandering structure, as Figiel builds up context and community around Alofa. I would have preferred, I think, a more sustained focus on that very sympathetic protagonist, but I still enjoyed the wandering.