All the hours he spent theorizing about magic seemed so naive now. The main ingredient in transformation was not magic, it was pain.
Emily Habeck, Shark Heart
I won’t lie; this one stands out from all the books I’ve read. It stands out for a few reasons. The first and most important reason is that it took me a leisurely 4 hours to read. I love nothing more than munching a book in that short amount of time. It was so easy to read. It was also so weird I couldn’t stop reading until it was complete.
So, if the plot of this book doesn’t catch your attention—which I don’t know how it wouldn’t—then let the short chapters and Habeck’s easy prose entice you enough to read this wonderful book.
Book Description
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 her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds.
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Just Read It
You can’t read that book description and not want to read it. As soon as I saw the summary, I knew I had to read the book. It took me a few years to check it off my TBR list, but I am glad I finally did.
Husband turns into a shark? SOLD. Wrenn becomes friends with a woman pregnant with bird twins? Sold again. On the surface, the book sounds kind of silly, but there is a lot more depth to it, and Habeck’s writing is almost poetic at times.
It’s set in a world identical to ours, except people are diagnosed with various animal mutations. Sometimes, the mutation is genetic; sometimes, it’s completely random if you’re like Lewis. There’s even a substantial medical facility near Lewis and Wrenn’s home dedicated to treating these mutations. Unfortunately for Lewis, his mutation is very aggressive and fast-moving.
The animal mutations are very clearly a metaphor for illness (Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Dementia, etc.). Cancer transforms people much like these animal mutations. It is not only a heavy weight on the sick person but also on the caretaker. Cancer diagnoses come in all shapes and sizes; some are more aggressive than others. Once the animal mutation is complete, the caretaker releases their loved one into the wild. The person dies in a way.
As I mentioned earlier, Habeck’s chapters are short and sweet. One second, you’re reading a normal chapter, and the next, you’re reading a play script, which pays homage to Lewis’ passion for acting. The book is also split into three parts (or acts?). Act one focuses on Wrenn and Lewis’ relationship and Lewis’ diagnosis. The second act focuses on Wrenn’s mother. The third act shows us what happens to Lewis and Wrenn after Lewis fully transforms into a shark.
Overall, this book is equal parts funny, moving, weird, and fast-paced. I’d be curious to see Habeck write more books set in this universe. I think she could make quite a few spinoffs. I’d gladly read them!
Please read this book, and let me know what you think!
Just Read It 