Shark Heart: A Love Story

by Emily Habeck Narrated by Karissa Vacker, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Soneela Nankani

Overview

A New York Times Editors' Choice
A USA TODAY Bestseller
A Booklist Editor's Choice
A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee

A “beautifully written” (Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the Light We Cannot See) debut novel of marriage, motherhood, metamorphosis, and letting go, this intergenerational love story begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis-a man who, over the course of nine months, transforms into a great white shark.

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. Woven throughout this “heart-wringing” (Adam Roberts, internationally bestselling author of Salt) novel is the story of Wren's mother, Angela, who becomes pregnant with Wren at fifteen in an abusive relationship amidst her parents' crumbling marriage. In the present, all of Wren's grief eventually collides, and she is forced to make an impossible choice.

A sweeping love story that is at once lyrical and funny, airy and visceral, Shark Heart is an unforgettable, gorgeous novel about life's perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life. This daring debut marks the arrival of a wildly talented new writer abounding with originality, humor, and heart.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Beguiling... Habeck’s setup allows her to grapple with big questions... [and] imbues the smallest interactions and moments with poetic weight... Surprising and pleasurably uncategorizable. Shark Heart is wild, in every sense of the word.”
—New York Times Book Review

“It’s quite a feat to weave such a wild speculative element into a story that feels fundamentally relatable, resonant, human. Yes, Shark Heart is the kind of delightfully original story I adore, and the sort of book I’ll be pressing into the hands of friends with a vigorous nod. Yes, it actually works.” —Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures


"Shark Heart is a fantastical, original, and beautifully-written novel of abandonment, love, and Ovidian transformation. It explores illness, caretaking, devotion, magical thinking, and loss—and of course great white sharks—in ways that are funny, sad, and surprising. Every page bursts with heart.
—Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land

"In Shark Heart, Emily Habeck doesn’t shy away from the agony of goodbyes, or the torture that can accompany unexpected freedom. With an otherworldly tenderness, she reminds us that life will always demand that we give over to its momentum and adapt. The fact that these lessons are thrilling, hilarious, and effortless to read are the miracle of the book. I suspect I will ponder this book over and over; so rich with fantasy yet as frank and real as anything I’ve ever read."
—Mary Louise Parker, author of Dear Mr. You

"Without a doubt, “Shark Heart” by Emily Habeck is one of the most unique and beautifully written books I've read. It’s quite an emotional ride and, truly, would never have thought an unorthodox novel about a human man transforming into a shark would be moving but the words and overall storyline infused with love, grief and loss will hit you deeply." —New York Post

“Surprisingly moving, oddly heartwarming, and deeply contemplative.”
—Bookpage

“A bit Shakespeare, a bit Kafka, and a bit Disney... [this] debut stands out from the pack.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"a sweet and heartbreaking tale highlighting the hiccups of marriage, motherhood, and grief."
—Cosmopolitan, "The 19 Summer Books That Are Must-Brings for Your Next Beach Vacay"

"A highly original, heart-rending story about abiding love that transcends trauma, grief—and even metamorphosis."
—Washington Post, "10 Noteworthy Books for July and August"

“The sophisticated, emotionally charged poetic language Habeck uses and her writing style makes you think about all of the people you have loved — and how time is truly something to be cherished...It was extremely well-done... This is the perfect example of a book that once you read, you’ll want to talk to everyone you know about it... this book is filled with some of the most beautiful language (and story) you’ll encounter.” —New York Post

“A tender story about the endurance of a married couple’s love... Vulnerable and devastating.”
—PopSugar

“Raw, powerful, and delightfully unusual... [Shark Heart] is structurally and lyrically daring, so much so that its pages quickly envelop readers in its emotional challenges and magic... While it begs readers to contemplate what it means to be human, it also challenges them to look at their circumstances carefully and reminds them to be grateful for what they have at hand rather than dwelling on what they may have lost. Shark Heart is an unforgettable and much needed love story for a new, uncertain, and rapidly changing era.”
–Southern Review of Books


"Habeck’s debut explores the nature of grief through deft and beautiful writing... Poetic interludes and play-like vignettes punctuate the lyrical prose”
—Booklist (Starred Review)

“A poignant tale of grief and change.”
—Town and Country

"Shark Heart is one of those rare books that reaches right into you and reflects lived experience so exactly, and so poetically, that it feels like you're being seen. It wears its heart openly and unapologetically on its sleeve. Equal parts tenderly comedic and tragic, the book was a difficult one to read, but I'm so glad I did."
—Marianne Gordon, author of The Gilded Crown

‘A stunning debut which grabs you with its unique style, holds you within its vulnerability and leaves you with a bittersweet aching. This is not just a story of love, it’s a story of goodbyes. Habeck delivers an innovative and inspirational story that emotionally captures its readers until the end.’
—Fantasy Hive

"A beautifully written, heart-wringing story about love and change, about moving forward—as a shark always must—and what is lost and what gained as we do so. Habeck has an extraordinary command of her writerly instrument, crafting sentence after sentence that feel effortless and yet are eloquent and penetrating and superb. This is the highlight of my reading-year so far."

—Adam Roberts, international bestselling author of Salt and The This

Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anthony Doerr

Shark Heart is a fantastical, original, and beautifully-written novel of abandonment, love, and Ovidian transformation.”

NOVEMBER 2023 - AudioFile

Narrators Karissa Vacker, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, and Soneela Nankani breathe life into Habeck's novel, creating a unique and deeply emotional listening experience. The story follows newlyweds Lewis and Wren as they grapple with love amid an extraordinary circumstance: Lewis undergoes a rare transformation, becoming a great white shark while retaining his human consciousness. Vacker immerses audiences in Wren's emotional depth, capturing her vulnerabilities with finesse, while Taylor-Corbett expertly balances strength and vulnerability as he embodies Lewis's journey. Nankani adds depth by infusing supporting characters with life. Together, the trio's voices seamlessly weave Habeck's unconventional narrative, exploring themes of love, loss, and transformation. This captivating and unforgettable auditory adventure delves into complexities of the human heart. F.S.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2023-06-08
A young couple’s happy marriage shatters when the husband turns into a great white shark.

Lewis and Wren prove the maxim that opposites attract. Wren is practical and solution-oriented; she works in finance and is the couple’s breadwinner. Idealistic dreamer Lewis tried to make it as an actor in New York and has now returned home to Texas to teach high school theater. But Lewis begins to develop worrying symptoms: insatiable thirst, extra teeth, a hunger for fish. It’s a rare condition but not unheard of: the Carcharodon carcharias mutation. Lewis is turning into the largest predatory fish on Earth—the great white shark. As Lewis loses more of his human life and Wren tries to figure out how to say goodbye to the world they’ve built together, she’s also reminded of her childhood, when her senses of safety and stability were destroyed as her single mother’s own tragic fate played out. For much of the book, Wren’s role maps movingly onto real-world narratives of caretaking ill spouses or parents, though this map becomes less exact as the book unfolds. This unfolding, though, is more playful than one might expect: fragments of poetry, play script, and even footnotes are woven into the brief—occasionally a single sentence—vignettes from the lives of Lewis, Wren, and Wren’s mother, the book’s primary perspectives. The result is a bit Shakespeare, a bit Kafka, and a bit Disney, with Habeck unafraid of sentiment, big proclamations, and talking animals. (“Are we all just actors performing some unbound art form for God, the audience of space?” Lewis wonders.) Habeck’s heart-on-sleeve approach to relationships, grief, and natural wonder may strike some as saccharine, but readers looking for an earnest exploration of love will be satisfied.

Though occasionally florid, a debut that stands out from the pack—er, school.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176644562
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	08/08/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	904,101

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