Review: Shark Heart

3/5 stars

Shark Heart: A Love Story, by Emily Habeck (2023)

Wren and Lewis have a sweet meet-cute in a restaurant, marry, and plan to live happily ever after... only, a few months into their marriage, Lewis is diagnosed with a rare form of mutation which means he will gradually morph into a great white shark. He's not alone - transforming into other animals seems to be a fairly common occurrence (in whatever version of reality Shark Heart is set in). It's just that turning into, specifically, a great white shark is a rare mutation.

It's a unique story and a quick read as we learn more about what the mutation means, and how it affects Lewis and Wren individually and as a couple. We follow them through the mutation process, and learn about a few others who also mutated, or birthed mutated children.

With themes of love, grief, heartbreak, motherhood, acceptance, there's a lot to like and connect to. I enjoyed the way this book makes you think about what it means to be human - How much human is left when a person is battling some sort of illness? For me, it paralleled some forms of dementia, where the person is still physically present but their mind is gone. In this case, Lewis' brain is there but his body is becoming something new. (It's also interesting that Lewis is told his transformation will take 9 months... not lost on me that this is the same time period for, ya know, growing a baby.) How much of Lewis will still be Lewis at the end of this timeframe? Or will he be a completely new creature?

I liked the Wren and Lewis storyline. Part 2 goes back in time to follow Wren's mother Angela's story, and I felt less invested in this. I wish the book had stuck with the two main characters. I felt like there was so much more to explore there. I kept waiting for things to take a more dangerous turn... I mean, about mid-way through Lewis is essentially a shark, with a shark's eating habits and moods and tendencies. There are only two brief moments where he seems to give in to that animalistic side. I wanted to see more of that personality transformation, and how the couple's relationship had to reconstruct itself with each change.

I also was so curious to know more about this world where these mutations are happening. How long has this been going on? How/why did it start? How many people transform? I think the narrative could've been tightened up to include more world-building, more in-depth emotional work with Wren and Lewis, and less all-the-other-characters.

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