Shark Heart

Lewis and Wren are newlyweds, happily going about their lives until Lewis receives a rare medical diagnosis. Within the year, he will transform into a great white shark. While improbable in our world, this is a thing that happens in this world. Animal mutations are a part of life. His wife Wren, struggles to grasp the reality at first. Is there a way for them to stay together after his change? As time goes on, as she sees his carnivorous behavior and struggle to exist on land, she has to make peace with what the future will bring. Throughout this, Wren also reconciles memories of her mother, her childhood, and her college ex-girlfriend. She also befriends a pregnant woman who is carrying two birds. I really struggled for the first half of the book. While creative, I didn’t find it enjoyable to read. It was weird and uncomfortable. When a friend explained that the transformation was a metaphor for long term illness or cancer, I “got it” a little bit more. (I feel a little bit dense, that hadn’t really occurred to me). Still, I found myself skimming the second quarter of the book. But then, somewhere along the lines, I just started to love it. Once a major thing had happened, we go back in time a bit and those parts of the book were my favorite. (It’s hard to explain without giving spoilers). Anyway, all in all, this lived up to the hype. Stick with the weird. It gets really good (though it is heartbreaking at times!). I am passing this along to my mom and can’t wait to hear what she thinks.