Shark Heart: A Love Story

1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• The subtitle of Shark Heart is “A Love Story.” In what ways is the novel a love story, and in what ways does the author subvert expectations regarding love stories? 
• The novel belongs to the fabulism genre because “mutations” cause characters to transform into animals. What did you think of this juxtaposition of the ordinary and the surreal? What other books or movies have you encountered that present a surreal circumstance in a matter-of-fact way? 
• Heback’s omniscient narrator utilizes fourth-wall breaks, particularly in Part 3. How did these direct addresses to the reader impact your experience of the story?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Did the characters’ experiences remind you of a time when you’ve faced grief? Wren and Lewis process their grief and find closure in different ways. What has helped you during times of loss? 
• Female bonds play essential roles in Wren’s life. How have the women in your life shaped you? 
• Some of Wren’s most impactful relationships are cut short. What do you think makes a relationship meaningful? To what extent is duration a factor?
• Lewis tries to process his diagnosis by envisioning himself as a director in charge of his metatheatrical life story, and storytelling helps him find closure as a shark. Have you ever created a narrative about yourself or your life? What were your reasons for doing so? 
• Wren is practical and organized while Lewis is more emotional and creative. Which of these contrasting temperaments do you relate to more, and why? 

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• Wren serves as a caretaker for both Lewis and her mother. What lessons can her story teach contemporary societies about the emotional and psychological needs of caretakers? What structures or policies could support caretakers?
• Some of the novel’s characters, including Julia and George, are members of the Chickasaw Nation. How does an understanding of these Indigenous characters’ history and heritage add to the story’s examination of family and community?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Habeck makes frequent allusions to Our Town. Why does this play speak so deeply to Lewis, and what do these references add to the novel? Does reading Shark Heart require prior familiarity with Thornton Wilder’s work? How do both texts convey the temporary, ever-changing nature of life?
• One of the novel’s primary themes is that life is a form of metatheater. How do the novel’s structural and narrative techniques reflect this thematic message and add to the story’s metatextual nature? Consider for example the use of an omniscient third-person narrator, scenes written in the form of a script, and fourth-wall breaks.
• The pragmatic Wren clings to order and routine at the start of the novel. How does her childhood contribute to her desire for stability, and how do her relationships with Lewis and Joy cause her to change throughout the story? 
• Water is one of the novel’s central motifs. How does Wren’s evolving relationship toward water illustrate her growing acceptance of change? 
• Habeck presents Margaret as both youthful and wise. How does this relatively minor supporting character restore Lewis’s sense of hope, create the possibility of community, and help Lewis retain some of his humanity after his transformation into a shark?
• What overall message about love does Habeck express through this novel? In other words, what does it mean to have a “shark heart”?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• Imagine an epilogue in which Joy grows up and reads the play that Lewis wrote after his diagnosis. How might this text help her understand her father, and what might she want to express to him if she could?
• If you were to adapt Shark Heart into a play, which scenes would you focus on? How would you depict the characters’ transformations into animals? Are there any aspects of the novel that might be especially exciting or challenging to bring to the stage?

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