By VANESSA SKILDUM
As an avid reader, Emily Habeck’s debut novel, “Shark Heart: A Love Story,” quickly landed on my to-be-read (TBR) list. It made a giant splash when it came out, was nominated for two Goodreads Choice awards in 2023, and was shortlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award and the Brooklyn Library Book Prize in 2024.
I finally had time to read it, and to put it simply; I was not ready for the emotional roller coaster I was about to embark upon.
“Shark Heart” is a stand-alone novel that follows Lewis and Wren during their first year of marriage. Shortly after they get married, Lewis starts having abnormal symptoms and gets diagnosed with a genetic mutation that is slowly turning him into a great white shark. You watch Lewis and Wren process what this diagnosis means as Lewis continues to change. The second portion of the book follows Angela, Wren’s mother, ‘s experience raising Wren, and the third part brings the book full circle to see how Lewis and Wren’s lives are now after Lewis fully transformed.
Habeck’s writing is breathtakingly beautiful. She used many structures throughout the novel, including a play-like structure where parts were written like scripts, poetic interludes, lists, and repetition. The chapters were short, some only a couple of lines long. With the addition of a nonlinear timeline, all of this gave a complete picture of everything going on. What might have been considered unnecessary details in another writing style aided the storytelling.
I appreciated getting to see Angela’s story, Wren’s mother. Initially, I was unaware that this was included in the book and came across it while reading it. Seeing what Angela went through by getting pregnant at fifteen and being in an abusive relationship makes what Wren says about her mother way more impactful.
The story felt, in a way, like someone’s journey through Dementia. Lewis would have periods where he didn’t know where he was, trouble remembering things, and problems with essential motor functions. My great-grandpa suffered from this, and reading Lewis’s journey reminded me of stories my great-grandma recounted to me while he was alive. Much like how Wren cared for Lewis, my great-grandma cared for my great-grandpa until he died.
The novel brought me to tears numerous times while I was reading it, and since finishing it, I have been unable to start a new one, effectively putting me in a reading slump—something only a few books have caused me to experience.
Featured Image: “Shark Heart: A Love Story” front cover
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