Usually magical realism is not my cuppa, but this one was so well done. It is touching and darkly humorous.
Bookstagram 'made' me read Shark Heart by Emily Habeck, and I'm glad I was challenged to step a bit outside my reading comfort zone. Because I prefer my fiction to be firmly grounded in reality, this love story about a man who gradually morphs into a shark would never have been on my reading radar otherwise.
Told by newly-married Wren and Lewis in alternating points of view, it was helpful to know both of their thoughts and feelings as they went through this hardship. As a reader who doesn't like fantasy or scifi, I could connect to the plot because Lewis' transformation is handled like a serious medical diagnosis rather than some fantastical rare event.
I had read lots of reviews and comments about Shark Heart, but was surprised at the order in which segments of the story is told. The part I expected to be last was shared in the middle, and the author provided a character and her viewpoint I didn't anticipate but provided greater context and meaning overall.
I read this via the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, and Soneela Nankani, I appreciated the separate voices for Wren and Lewis. Had I read a print copy, I would've studied the lovely writing in greater depth.
Told by newly-married Wren and Lewis in alternating points of view, it was helpful to know both of their thoughts and feelings as they went through this hardship. As a reader who doesn't like fantasy or scifi, I could connect to the plot because Lewis' transformation is handled like a serious medical diagnosis rather than some fantastical rare event.
I had read lots of reviews and comments about Shark Heart, but was surprised at the order in which segments of the story is told. The part I expected to be last was shared in the middle, and the author provided a character and her viewpoint I didn't anticipate but provided greater context and meaning overall.
I read this via the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, and Soneela Nankani, I appreciated the separate voices for Wren and Lewis. Had I read a print copy, I would've studied the lovely writing in greater depth.
