This book is fundamentally about a man named Lewis who has a condition that causes him to change into a shark. It is a magical, fantastical, funny and emotional novel that has one of the most original plots I’ve ever read.
The sorry is divided into three parts, each telling the story of Lewis, his wife Wren and Wren’s mother Angela. Lewis and Wren are newlyweds when his metamorphosis begins to occur, and the author gives the reader a rich backstory on each of the characters. It is very poignant. I loved all the characters but Angela’s especially resonated with me. Her parents ignored her, her mother mistreated her, so of course she fell in love with a nonconformist free spirit.
“𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤’𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸: 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯.”
The author uses an unusual narrative style that worked perfectly. I alternated between the audiobook and reading, and surprisingly, the narrative style had a very powerful impact on me when I listed to the audiobook version.
This is a magical story where humans can change into birds, Komodo dragons and great white sharks. It is filled with grace and dark humor and ultimately, hope. I read that the author has a divinity background and that fits perfectly with some of the themes in this book. I loved it!
(𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)
About the Book:
A gorgeous debut novel of marriage, motherhood, metamorphosis, and letting go, this intergenerational love story begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis—a man who, over the course of nine months, transforms into a great white shark.
For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams.
At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with a college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds. Woven throughout this bold novel is the story of Wren’s mother, Angela, who becomes pregnant with Wren at fifteen in an abusive relationship amidst her parents’ crumbling marriage. In the present, all of Wren’s grief eventually collides, and she is forced to make an impossible choice.
A sweeping love story that is at once lyrical and funny, airy and visceral, Shark Heart is an unforgettable, gorgeous novel about life’s perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life. This daring debut marks the arrival of a wildly talented new writer abounding with originality, humor, and heart.