Novel Research Topics: Pareos and Telegrams

The Tahitian word for a wraparound skirt is pareu or pareo. Currently, the word is applied to any piece of cloth worn wrapped around the body, by both men and women. The pareo is related to the Malay sarong, Filipino tapis, and Samoan lavalava. All are garments of the Pacific Islands such as the Marquesas Islands, New Zealand, Fiji, and the Hawaiian Islands.

When I included the use of a pareo in one of my novels, it took no research effort as I had been wearing pareos at home for many years and took them for granted. But I did research the word when I first started buying them for their colorful patterns and comfort. Ubiquitous in Hawai'i, the pareo can be seen on the beach, poolside, and always around the home. The local ABC stores have an array of delightful patterns on display, the complementary hues so tantalizing that I have a small collection to choose from for after showering or just staying cool until the evening temperature drops.

Although I was already familiar with pareos, the mention of a telegram in the novel did require a bit more research. I have never received a telegram. But while my father was in the Army, he received one from his mother announcing the information of my birth. (Not the telegram displayed here.) He was granted leave as WWII had been declared ended months earlier.

Telegram from 1920

Not all telegrams were welcome, though. Samuel Morse had created the telegraph because when his wife died he didn’t receive notice until weeks later. The telegram became known for reporting world-shattering events. Telegrams were used to announce the start of WWI. And during WWII, the War Department sent notification through Western Union to advise families of the death of their loved ones serving in the military.

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Excerpt from Island Cruise Homicide

Back at the Seaside Motel, I took a leisurely shower and washed my hair. Once the cruise got underway, such luxuries would be less accessible. Wrapped in a colorful rayon pareo, I stretched across the bed to glance through a magazine article about life on other planets. Since our successful moon landing eight years ago, the news included multiple reports aimed at intensifying exploration of outer space. Yet, in a lifetime, no single individual could experience all that our own planet had to offer.

A knock came at the door. Expecting Rick, my husband of two years and the father of my teenaged son, I waited for him to use his key. But a second knock followed, accompanied by a short pronouncement. “Telegram for Pepper Bibeau.”

Securing the pareo a bit tighter around myself, I moved toward the door. Rick’s voice played in my head, “No good news ever comes by telegram.”

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Telegrams still exist, but with the proliferation of cell phones and the internet they are no longer in common use. Have you ever sent or received a telegram?