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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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0 0Shark Heart's imaginative and profound magical realism plot made this love story my favorite book of the year.
In Habeck's literary fiction debut, animal mutations can occur in humans. The first year of marriage always comes with challenges, but none could be more complicated than being diagnosed with a genetic mutation that takes away elements of your humanness.
Wren and Lewis are devastated when Lewis receives the diagnosis that he will evolve into a great white shark due to his genetic mutation.
As Wren struggles to make peace with their new reality, she does her best to support Lewis through his diagnosis as he struggles to maintain normalcy in his work and home life, all while his predatory nature and needs begin emerging.
We are given a heartbreaking, hopeful, and even (at times) humorous portrait of their marriage. Wren finds new ways to incorporate joy into Lewis's daily life, evolving their menu plan to the need's of a shark diet, finding a pool for him to get in swims, and even concocting schemes to stay together after his final evolution.
As we uncover Wren's past, we realize this is not the first time an animal mutation has threatened her existence. Told in three shifting timelines, we discover a troubling backstory that gives readers insight into a problematic past with a mutation of another kind and how that shaped Wren's life.
The fantastical elements of this genetic mutation allow the reader to distance themselves just enough from the realities of their struggles with chronic illness or disease while sitting close enough to devastate one emotionally wholly. I have a heart of steel and had to take days pausing between passages to give myself space from this story.
While I found a deep connection to this, I acknowledge that the story felt almost experimental, with storytelling mechanisms such as play scripts to shift the narrative uniquely. The short chapters, lyrical prose, and unusual timeline shifts in this character-driven story have faced criticism from readers who didn't feel pulled in by the exercise.
However, the novel reminded me of my love story and the love story of others with spouses facing complex health challenges.
It's a testament to those who show up daily- strategizing and modifying their daily existence to have the best day possible. I felt seen by Habeck's writing and surprised that something so literary could simultaneously feel grounded, relatable, and immersive.
20 out of 5 Stars
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