Shark Heart A love story

Where do I even begin? This book is truly one of a kind. It's split into two halves, both of them being absolutly devastating in their own ways. I didn't expect that I would be bawling my eyes out at a story about a man turning into a great white shark, but here I am. It feels like an ode to following your passions, to love and family and most importantly: life.

A normal man turning into a great white shark seems like an absurd concept - who knew it would emotionlly wreck me? Emily Habeck has written an absolutely heartwrenching novel that explores themes of love, family and grief in equal measures. She managed to make me just stare at a wal and try not to cry multiple times. Definitel a must read for anyone who is a fan of poetic writing, or just looking to get their heart ripped right out of their chest.

If you told me I would become wholeheartedly invested in the story of a man who turns into a shark I wouldn’t believe you and yet Shark Heart was the bizarrely beautiful book I never knew I needed. We follow a freshly married couple – Lewis and Wren – when Lewis gets diagnosed with a mutation that will slowly turn him into a great white shark. He will retain his human consciousness but his physical body will be that of one of the ocean's most dangerous predators. The novel focuses on their story but also that of Wren’s mother Angela, her childhood and growing up. The book’s writing is one of the most different yet comprehensible things I have ever read. At times it’s poetic, it’s vivid, at others it’s set out as a play or a movie and somehow the author cleverly makes it work. It’s a story about grief, the unfairness of life, love and how it overcomes even the hardest challenges. The author took the question “Would you still love me if I was a worm?” and decided to turn it into a heart wrenching masterpiece.

With a poetic and intimate writing style, plus an absurd premise to boot, "Shark Heart" captured me immediately. Even though the idea of people mutating into animals sounds weird initially, I glossed over it rather quickly, since the change in Lewis appereance and character is one of the driving forces during the story. This novel explores a variety of themes, ranging from family and love all the way to loss, grief and facing the inevitable. Emily Habeck beautifully arranges a mosaic of emotions, swiftly changing from raw and powerful feelings to a quiet and vulnerable moment in time. For me, "Shark Heart" tells not only the story of Lewis and Wren, but also a tale of intense feelings we all long for and fear at the same time. Everyone looking for a touching novel with quite a bit of emotional turmoil should grab this of the shelf, because somehow a husband turning into a great white shark definitely pulls your heart strings.