Literary Kitten

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck is a 2023 literary fiction book with aspects of romance and magical realism. This tale surrounds a newly married couple who struggle to cope with the husband’s recently discovered illness: he’s mutating into a shark. The concept of this book sounds insane. What do you mean some guy is turning into a shark? Additionally, Shark Heart centers around themes of grief, motherhood, caretaking, and learning to live amidst tragedy.

So yeah… the premise sounded weird and therefore, right up my alley. Not only that, but it sounded like the story would be incredibly poignant and heart-wrenching; another aspect I love! Going into this story, my expectations were slightly high. So many people have been raving about this 2023 release, going as far as being nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards.

As usual, there were things I enjoyed and didn’t enjoy.

To start on a positive note, I really enjoyed the imagery and sentiments placed throughout the book relating to love; what it means to love someone and what love really feels like. The way the couple meet and pursue a relationship together is very cute and wholesome. Lewis, the husband, is constantly delivering the most poetic and heavenly words regarding his adoration for his wife, Wren.

“Will you let me stand beside you on your plot of earth? We’ll tell the weeds to grow tall around our ankles, and when the wind gives us sycamore seeds, we’ll raise them as sprouts, seedlings, saplings until they overpower, shade, and nurture us. Our trees will grow for two hand years or more as our union becomes even more unquestionable and strong.”

I loved this part of the book. The reader can feel the love through all the words and sections. I would go as far as to say this is the best part of the reading experience; there’s moments where the writing seriously shines so, so bright. The written understanding of love and what makes love true is blinding.

“As Lewis held Wren’s hands, he thought of her kindness, her intelligence, her inner beauty. Yet, just as he married these known qualities, he also married her vast unknowns. And she, his.”

Another thing I thought this novel executed brilliantly were the metaphors of grief and coping with illness. This book is just a giant metaphor for these things. People mutating into animals symbolizes the onset of sudden incurable illnesses. Wren does everything she can for Lewis, becoming a caretaker, as she is faced with this sudden change in their lives.

“In their innocence, they failed to grasp the labor of losing a partner, how the tasks of simple existence would become logistical feats and one person’s burden.”

Lastly, the book is extremely digestible and easy to read, which I enjoy! I would say the story isn’t fast-paced, but it feels fast-paced due to the really short sections and pages throughout. There are pages with only one or two sentences. Within the book, there are also “scenes” inserted throughout, which was always a welcome change-up. Lewis is a theatre teacher, so I loved the twist of having some of the events take place through a theatrical script and scenes.

Okay now… womp womp womp. Here’s what I didn’t like as much:

Although I loved reading about the relationship and how the two leads met, I didn’t feel connected to the two as individuals. Specifically Lewis, although he is diagnosed with this mutation/illness, he comes across very bland. Especially throughout the last third of the book; his perspective started making me yawn. He is a beautiful writer and speaker, but other than that, I didn’t care for him much as a main character.

Because I have read other books with poignant messages and a large, overarching metaphor, I could see where there were loose ends and unresolved pieces that would have made the message more hard-hitting. It’s not that I didn’t understand the metaphors and how things were related to real life, but I would’ve liked it more if things were tied together a bit more. I’ll expand on this more in my next note—

Overall, I think this book fell short for me because of all the unanswered questions I had. Why are people mutating into sharks and reptiles? How is this happening? I don’t mind an open-ending; I don’t mind having questions typically, but I think it would’ve been nice to have answered those questions to make for a more satisfying reading experience! Again, the book is a huge metaphor and maybe you’re not supposed to have the answers (much like real life), but I think I would’ve liked more of the Sci-Fi aspects of this book emphasized! Not having that emphasis made things a bit dull for me.

At the end of the day, I still think this book is worth a read as it is proving to split people between loving and hating it; it can be contentious. It‘s an easy read, you could easily finish it in a day and see how you feel about it!

“In the rare hopeful hour, I tell myself this darkness has a purpose: to help me recognize light if I ever find it again.”

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Song: Beside Myself by Lights

originally posted on: February 20, 2024 (on previous site)