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megbooks02's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
What a bizarrely sweet book! I devoured this! I can’t wait for this author to write more!
astoryfan's review against another edition
4.0
This book is bizarre and original as it uses such a strange premise to tackle love, loss, meaning, grief and so many more themes. It was written poetically and intentionally and I think it was a fantastic debut.
gtures's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
hollyh8123's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
murphyjc's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kylieharaldson's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kristiebeeler's review against another edition
DNF at 50%. Tried my best to engage with the story but couldn’t. Was definitely weird but I also didn’t connect with the characters. Great writing though! Obviously very creative lol
bookstashread's review against another edition
2.0
Not for me.
Part 1: You start right off in the middle of this love story between Wren and Lewis. Wren is described as being more of a pragmatist (in finance..) and Lewis is more of a dreamer (drama teacher..). Lewis starts to notice some strange symptoms and sees a doctor to find out he’s slowly mutating into a great white shark and will essentially lose himself to this “illness”. This takes over the first half of the book with their relationship having to adjust to his symptoms.
I’m going to try not to spoil this royally - but stop reading here if you don’t want to know anything else.
Part 2: Now you have the perspective of Wren’s mom who was essentially in an abusive relationship as a teen when she got pregnant with Wren. She also ends up developing a mutation of sorts.
Part 3: Back to Wren who is now pregnant with Lewis’ child and she lives happily ever after.
This book was far too abstract for me. I just couldn’t get over certain elements and then couldn’t connect with any of the characters because of it… like I feel we were told Lewis and Wren were in love, and they said they loved eachother but I didn’t buy it…most parts were just so strange to me… like the two sharks coexisting and communicating in the ocean… the “tiny pregnant women” who was giving birth to birds?? One positive thing I’ll say is the language was quite lyrical and poetic, I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed this format - I’m not surprised to learn the author is in theatre.
I just kept trying to bring reason into this book - like maybe these animal mutations are a symbol of dementia? Or other diseases that take our loved ones from us and we have to watch them change in front of our eyes? I’m not even sure if that’s the intent but the mutations were so ridiculous I quite honestly couldn’t get past it. Again, was just not for me.
Part 1: You start right off in the middle of this love story between Wren and Lewis. Wren is described as being more of a pragmatist (in finance..) and Lewis is more of a dreamer (drama teacher..). Lewis starts to notice some strange symptoms and sees a doctor to find out he’s slowly mutating into a great white shark and will essentially lose himself to this “illness”. This takes over the first half of the book with their relationship having to adjust to his symptoms.
I’m going to try not to spoil this royally - but stop reading here if you don’t want to know anything else.
Part 2: Now you have the perspective of Wren’s mom who was essentially in an abusive relationship as a teen when she got pregnant with Wren. She also ends up developing a mutation of sorts.
Part 3: Back to Wren who is now pregnant with Lewis’ child and she lives happily ever after.
This book was far too abstract for me. I just couldn’t get over certain elements and then couldn’t connect with any of the characters because of it… like I feel we were told Lewis and Wren were in love, and they said they loved eachother but I didn’t buy it…most parts were just so strange to me… like the two sharks coexisting and communicating in the ocean… the “tiny pregnant women” who was giving birth to birds?? One positive thing I’ll say is the language was quite lyrical and poetic, I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed this format - I’m not surprised to learn the author is in theatre.
I just kept trying to bring reason into this book - like maybe these animal mutations are a symbol of dementia? Or other diseases that take our loved ones from us and we have to watch them change in front of our eyes? I’m not even sure if that’s the intent but the mutations were so ridiculous I quite honestly couldn’t get past it. Again, was just not for me.
ldillaway's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
What a weird beautiful little book. The premise of man transforming into a great white shark was certainly intriguing and the writing style immediately capture me - the book is told almost in tiny vignettes told through a number of styles including prose, poetry, and scripted sections as if the scene of a play.
Despite the weird premise, at its heart this is really a beautiful reflection of love and grief.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway
Despite the weird premise, at its heart this is really a beautiful reflection of love and grief.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway
gailcooksandreads's review against another edition
5.0
This novel is stunningly beautiful. So imaginative and uniquely structured. Habeck's writing is exquisite. A modern masterpiece.