Reviews - Sharks in the Time of Saviors

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Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

2.01k reviews for:

This started as a book about an accident and a miracle, but became so much more. Nainoa is young when he falls overboard on a rare family vacation and is circled by sharks. One shark takes Noa in its mouth and brings him safely back to the boat. What follows is a story about not just Noa's life, but that of his parents, sister, and brother. The narration is first person, and the narrating character rotates in each chapter, but in a way that feels wholly authentic. In each character you can still hear the strong voice of author Kawai Strong Washburn, but also each member of the Flores family, all with their own voices, speech patterns, habits, and motivations.

This novel asks you to explore Hawai'i, but not the Hawai'i of cruises and vacations. We enter the Hawai'i of farming, of poverty, of making ends meet, of old gods and spirituality. Noa's family are real Hawaiians, and Noa's fate and journey are tied closely with that of Hawai'i. This book is magical realism, interwoven with Hawaiian spirituality.

The mysticism in the book is blended perfectly with a cold sense of reality. All at once we are a hopeful mother, a child with the weight of the world on his soldiers, a forgotten younger sister. The book deals with incarceration, race, mental illness, grief, sexuality, and masculinity. While characters try to envision a saved world and see the old gods, they also scramble for shifts at the supermarket, avoid calling their parents, have run-ins with police, get in bar fights, and fall in a heartbreaking type of love.

This book is about family, destiny, loss, love and Hawai'i. It comes together so beautifully that you'll never want it to end.

alyssahafso's review against another edition

1.0

mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I wanted to love this book SO MUCH! The cover is stunning and I loved the premise but it just. Wasn’t good. It tried to do so much but yet felt like it did literally nothing at all. I wanted the ending to move me and have things make sense and instead it was a just one giant cliche of a book. The writing had some very pretty moments and it kept me engaged somewhat but idk. Just dissapointed.