The Tattoo

De: Chris McKinney

Narrado por: Brent Mukai

Two prisoners form a bond in this “powerful” novel that reveals the darker side of Hawaii (Time Out Chicago).

Ken Hideyoshi is the new guy in Halawa Correctional Institute. He’s tough looking, a hard case. His cellmate is Cal—the mute tattoo artist of the prison who murdered his own wife. Ken, already inked with a gang symbol and a Japanese emblem, eventually asks Cal to create an elaborate tattoo on his back, in kanji script, of Musashi’s Book of the Void.

While he is being worked on, he tells Cal his life story. Motherless, he was raised by a distant father, a Vietnam War veteran, in the impoverished hinterlands. In his teen years he hung out with the native Hawaiian gangs and was drawn into the Hawaiian Korean underworld of strip bars and massage parlors. As Cal’s artistry takes shape on Ken’s back, the story of Ken’s life takes shape as well—a tale of hardship and abuse, ambition and proud samurai spirit, and, ultimately, his downfall, in this gritty novel about “the other Hawai’i, the one tourists never get to see” (Ian MacMillan).

©1999 Mutual Publishing (P)2023 Audible, Inc.

Fantastic narration!

The story was interesting but the narration is what earned this audiobook my 5 star rating! If I had read this book on my own, it would not have had the same impact. Great performance.

Pidgin dialog was fun to hear!

Interesting and tough everyday story with Hawaiian traditions, words and thinking, simple descriptions, and possible true experiences

Love the narrator

I can’t imagine listening to this audiobook without the perfect pidgin. For several years I started reading but could never finish cover to cover. Great writing!

Beautiful and Horrifying

This book touches something primal in my soul that is refreshing and terrifying at the same time! Makes me feel that feeling like when I watch Jurassic park and the kids feel safe and are eating jello and ice cream only to look up and see the shadows of the raptors. Like yeah I’m safe I’m home but there is always that fear of those shadows. I lived a similar life to Ken as I grew up in Hawaii and this author does such a phenomenal job at painting a picture of how local boys grow up in hawaii! I read this book in high school and felt such a deep connection to it but for some reason was terrified to re read it for fear of reopening that feral side I had locked away. The narrator makes this book come to life and turns my stomach with how realistically he depicts certain scenes and phrases it makes me long to be home. All in all, fucken cherry job braddah Chris!

what a waste

At the end I felt I waisted my time. A story about people stuck in a bad situation and doing little to get out. Familiar themes of violence, depravity, drunkenness and squalor. Even though the main character was smart and had opportunities, he was unable to extract himself. Perhaps that's how that works, but it did not make for compelling reading. Also, the way the story was told made it seem like a documentary, strangely dispassionate. As for the prolific cusswords, I am sure that goes with that environment, so I thought that was genuine.