normally, seeing the words "a love story" on the cover of a book would immediately make me push it to the side and dig through my stack to find something else more my speed. i hate to be that person, but books that center love and romance are not my speed, and i usually do not enjoy them much despite my best efforts to do so

shark heart is a story that narrates the beauty of loving unconditionally, of loving though you are losing yourself, and of loving knowing that it will only cause you pain. i was beyond moved reading this, shed tears, and stared blankly at a wall after finishing the book.

this is set in a world where human-to-animal transmutations are common enough that there are (what i believe to be) the equivalent of palliative care facilities to ease the ailing through their journies. as someone who watched multiple family members suffer through terminal diagnoses, the description of illnesses reminded me starkly of fighting that losing battle, of fighting so bravely against something that you know will consume you in the end. this aspect of the book was by far the most impactful for me, and i thought habeck did a phenomenal job of capturing the reality of terminal illness for both the person with the illness, and the loved ones around them.

heartbreaking as this book was, there was so much love woven into the story, of all different kinds. love between mother and daughter. love between two lovers. the unrequited love of someone that just wants good things for her. the enduring love of a child groomed into believing she doesn't deserve better. the love between two friends. the love one has for life, and all the beauty it has to offer.

this is the kind of book that i fear i will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.

cried hysterically on a public beach finishing this book. like hiccup-sobbing-with-visible-snot sobbing. 5 stars