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.
Usually magical realism is not my cuppa, but this one was so well done. It is touching and darkly humorous.
