I’ve seen Shark Heart (2023) by Emily Habeck around, but didn’t think of reading it until my book group picked it. It is an unusual premise–right after getting married, Lewis and Wren face a difficult diagnosis due to a genetic abnormality he carries–Lewis will retain his consciousness and all of his memories, but over the next several months to years, he will slowly turn into a great white shark. I was completely charmed!
Lewis is a theater teacher, something that becomes more and more difficult as he transforms. Wren is her own person–each retains their independence after marrying, and through flashbacks we learn that Wren has a history with genetic transformations like Lewis’s.
Habeck’s writing was beautiful, full of wise thoughts as the artist Lewis comes to terms with what he is becoming, and the practical Wren realizes that she’s going to have to release him into the nearest body of water, keeping herself safe even as he fights the nature of what he is becoming.
It sounds strange, and it really is–but it is enthralling and a lovely ride at the same time. I highly recommend Shark Heart, and consider it weight-neutral, as there isn’t any negative depictions of fatness or positive depictions of thinness. It’s worth a second reading to think about whether the bodily transformations can be viewed as metaphors–I wasn’t thinking about it in that way on my first reading, but it is definitely possible.
Reading While Fat 