Sharks in the Time of Saviours
A powerful debut novel that delicately blends Hawaiian myth with the broken American dream. 'The next time I went for air you were at the surface, sideways, prone and ragdolling in the mouth of a shark. But the shark was holding you gently, do you understand? It was holding you like you were made of glass, like you were its child.' In 1995 in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, seven-year-old Nainoa Flores is saved from drowning by a shiver of sharks. His family, struggling to make ends meet amidst the collapse of the sugar cane industry, hails his rescue as a sign of favour from ancient Hawaiian gods. But as time passes, this hope gives way to economic realities, forcing Nainoa and his siblings to seek salvation across the continental United States, leaving behind home and family. With stunning physical detail and a profound command of language, Washburn's powerful debut examines what it means to be both of a place, and a stranger in it.
Kawai Strong Washburn was born and raised on the Hamakua coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i. His work has appeared in The Best American Non-required Reading, McSweeney's and Mid-American Review, among others. He was selected as a 2015 Tin House Summer Scholar and 2015 Bread Loaf work-study scholar. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Bay Area of California. This is his first novel.
Author: Kawai Strong Washburn
Format: Paperback, 384 pages, 155mm x 234mm, 580 g
Published: 2020, Penguin Random House Australia, Australia
Genre: General & Literary Fiction
A powerful debut novel that delicately blends Hawaiian myth with the broken American dream. 'The next time I went for air you were at the surface, sideways, prone and ragdolling in the mouth of a shark. But the shark was holding you gently, do you understand? It was holding you like you were made of glass, like you were its child.' In 1995 in Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, seven-year-old Nainoa Flores is saved from drowning by a shiver of sharks. His family, struggling to make ends meet amidst the collapse of the sugar cane industry, hails his rescue as a sign of favour from ancient Hawaiian gods. But as time passes, this hope gives way to economic realities, forcing Nainoa and his siblings to seek salvation across the continental United States, leaving behind home and family. With stunning physical detail and a profound command of language, Washburn's powerful debut examines what it means to be both of a place, and a stranger in it.
Kawai Strong Washburn was born and raised on the Hamakua coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i. His work has appeared in The Best American Non-required Reading, McSweeney's and Mid-American Review, among others. He was selected as a 2015 Tin House Summer Scholar and 2015 Bread Loaf work-study scholar. He lives with his wife and daughter in the Bay Area of California. This is his first novel.
