What a wild and beautiful book. The summary sounds so strange, but if you accept the premise and just lean into the lyrical writing it's lovely. It’s less about a mutation that can turn you into an animal, and more about how love and loss often shape who we become. Parts are written like a play and just when I wasn’t sure where the story was going next, the book took a turn into a different character’s story. It was perfectly done to give the reader a better understanding of the main characters.

“Wren became soft and young when she was learning.”

“As they say in the theater, suspend your disbelief. Otherwise, the reality of this world is very much like yours and mine.”

“Lewis would learn the difference between loneliness and being alone.”

“So maybe love wasn’t an unwieldy accessory in times of peril. Maybe it was the key to survival.” ( )

I am giving this 4 stars for its creativity and its message of love, but I just wasn't invested in the mutation storyline. I did enjoy the love story of Lewis and Wren, and the relationship between Wren and her mother, Angela.
It has a sweet message about love and caring, but again, the mutation was just too far out there for me. ( )

Very strange book that made me a little uncomfortable at times. And so very sad. Beautifully written. ( )

My heart was not ready for this! When the description of the book tells the reader to expect a man to slowly morph into a shark, you don't anticipate crying your bloody eyes out. I certainly didn't. I was intrigued with the weird concept, that in this world, some people are born with a condition that mutates them into animals. Sometimes it doesn't happen until they are older, sometimes it happens to children. Some animal species can take humans decades to evolve into - other species (like sharks) can take only a few months. Wren and Lewis have recently wed and they have their whole lives ahead of them. Lewis is an eternal optimist, a high school theater director, fun and loud. Wren is his opposite, small, quiet, tidy, and orderly - always thinking two steps ahead. When out of the blue Lewis is diagnosed with the ultra rare diagnosis - transforming into a great white shark - they have to figure out how to proceed. How long does he have? Will their love endure? AMAZING STORYTELLING! I can't stop thinking about this book. The format is amazing - it alternates characters, is sometime told in the form of a scene in a play, sometimes just a thought. It's gorgeous. Definitely one of my top picks for the year! ( )

One of the most unusual books I've ever read. The premise of people morphing into animals and how it affects, not only them, but the people who love them makes for a very interesting read! "A gorgeous debut novel of marriage, metamorphosis, and letting go, this intergenerational love story begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis- a man who, over the course if nine months, transforms into a great white shark." This paragraph on the flyleaf describing the book made me buy it! ( )