Notes

Alofa Filiga is thirteen and lives in the village of Malaefou in Samoa. Growing up in the village, she learns to come to terms with violence, womanhood and her own personal search for identity. Sia Figiel's first book uses the traditional Samoan storytelling form of su'ifefiloi to deromanticize Western perceptions of Pacific Islands women. This forceful and honest adult work is a modern tragicomedy of youth and culture.