Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

“If a god is a thing that has absolute power over us, then in this world there are many. There are gods that we choose and gods that we can't avoid; there are gods that we pray to and gods that prey on us; there are dreams that become gods and nightmares that do, as well.”

Nainoa falls into the pacific ocean on a family cruise and finds himself encircled by sharks. This seems like a kind of ending, but when the sharks deliver the boy safely to his family in their jaws, his parent's can't help but wonder if this is some kind of sign from the Hawaiian gods that there is favor and purpose over Nainoa. Nainoa discovers inside him a special gifting and he uses that gift to bring wealth and pride to his family, but this disguised blessing becomes a burdensome weight on Nainoa.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors masterfully weaves together magical realism and a generational family saga. Everything I love about stories with magical realism elements is present here. I love it when magical elements don't over power a story's plot line. The focus in this novel aren't so much on Nainoa's unique abilities but on the juxtaposition of blessing and burden he and his family experience as a result.

This is one of the most unique plots and stories I have ever read. I loved the incorporation of Hawaiian mythology and the beautiful flow of the novel. I loved the characters and the way the story unfolded and flowed so beautifully. I finished this weeks ago and I still find myself lost in the internal struggle of this family. Its a beautiful kind of lost. I didn't come out of this book easily. A piece of me is still there and I love when a book pulls you into orbital alignment and holds you there long after it is finished.

I can't believe this book has flown so under the radar! It deserves the accolade that lesser books published in the same year garnered!

I listened to this on audio book. The cast of the audio narration were fantastic! I highly recommend giving this a shot on audio book!

Cw: death, some blood and gore, drug use /drug abuse

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars