Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Wow! This blew me away!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

magical realism is thrown around as a descriptor but this is a real good example of the trope. This book was unpredictable and lush and beautiful with imperfect people doing the best they could amidst poverty and things they could not control.

‘Sharks in the Time of Saviours’ came as a wonderful surprise to me. It was a first book I’d heard nothing about in a genre (magical realism) that I’m not always a fan of. I grabbed it off NetGalley because the author is Hawaiian and I thought it would be interesting to read something that have me more insight into that part of the world. I’m afraid it languished in my TBR for a while until I decided to try it. I was immediately gripped and devoured it in just over a day. Now that I’ve finished it I’m left with that sweet hangover you get from a really great book. My mind keeps drifting back to it, replaying scenes and re-evaluating the characters and their actions. It’s the best book I’ve read recently. Imaginative, gripping, compassionate and life affirming.
Set over fourteen years, the book is about a Hawaiian family struggling to make ends meet. It’s told in the first person by the members of the family, with chapters dedicated to the two parents and the three children. The driving thread of the narrative concerns younger son Noa, who is miraculously saved from drowning by sharks as a child and develops apparently supernatural abilities as he ages. The struggle that he faces in coming to terms with this, as well as the impact on his siblings and parents is at the heart of the book.
Noa’s abilities, and the Hawaiian gods that his family connect the to, provide the magical part of the book. The realism is everywhere else. In the daily grind of life on the bread line, in the struggles native Hawaiians face as tourism overwhelms their home, in the challenges of being a parent and trying to raise your kids right in the modern world. Author Kawai Strong Washburn handles both halves of his book beautifully. It is both completely believable, populated with convincing, relatable characters facing familiar obstacles, and utterly magical. The two elements play off each other to create a novel that is more than the sum of its parts.
I’ve deliberately avoided giving too much detail about the plot, but a straightforward telling of it could make it sound hokey. It’s a credit to Washburn’s talent that the book is anything but. His writing is wonderful – easy to read but packed with depth and flavour. His characters jump off the page and sit down next to you and the events of their lives feel like memories rather than something you’ve read. Perhaps most importantly, he manages to relay some pretty deep messages without ever seeming preachy or cliched. The book is a triumphant celebration of family, nature and humanity and a reminder of why magic is so important in the modern world. You should read it.

I got excited when I read this was a magical realism book set in Hawaii and followed a native Hawaiian family.

Noa is one of three children, the gifted one, who was rescued by sharks when he accidentally went overboard on a cruise ship. Noa's powers to communicate with animals as well as to heal become the centre of family attention, making his brother's and sister's achievements less important and causing a divide in the family.

Unfortunately the prose and the narration voice didn't click with me from the start. I struggled to distinguish between the four narrators. The prose was too descriptive and unfocused making it a slow read. At around 25% mark the story gets more interesting as we follow the lives of the three siblings in the mainland US, but my attention was lost again after the family is struck by a tragedy and the rest of the book seems to be dedicated to their grievances.

The magical realism fell flat for me, comparing this book to Marquez is very misleading in my opinion. This book is not for everyone and it wasn't for me but many people seem to have loved it. 2.5 stars overall

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. It is an uneasy read for several reasons. The author has switched between snippets of Hawaiin patois and dictionary English using odd words here and there The narrative has no substance but nothing that binds into one complete story - is it about the strange experiences of Noa or the absolute mess everyone else seems to make of their lives. I feel like there were nuggets that could have made this book great if the Author had stuck to one but not the other. It is defined on GR as magical realism but I personally don't think it has enough magic in it to warrant that label. It also falls into the trap of having to include a little of all supposed ly important contemporary issues. The obligatory lesbian relationship, the struggles of the people of colour with money and the police. I didn't feel as if either had a real place in this narrative about the effects of being saved by sharks on a young Haawaiin boy.

It was not an awful book just not what it said on the tin

My thanks to Canongate for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Sharks in the Time of Saviours’ by Kawai Strong Washburn in exchange for an honest review.

This powerful debut novel focuses upon a Hawaiian family who are struggling financially following the collapse of the local sugar cane industry. In 1995, while on a boat trip in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, seven-year-old Nainoa Flores falls overboard. However, he is saved from drowning by a shiver of sharks. His rescue is hailed by his family as a sign of favour from the ancient Hawaiian gods. There are expectations that Nainoa is destined to become a healer, a kahuna. People flock to him for healing.

His siblings, Dean and Kaui, feel overshadowed by him. As they come of age Nainoa and his siblings leave behind their home and family to relocate to the continental United States. Nainoa becomes a paramedic, Dean plays college basketball, and Kaui studies engineering and waits tables to stay afloat financially.

This is a family saga with elements of magical realism drawn from the spirituality and mythology of Hawaii. Each chapter is narrated by a family member. As I was aware before starting to read this that Kawai Strong Washburn was using pidgin and local colloquiums, I elected to obtain its audiobook edition, narrated by a full cast, to listen alongside reading the eARC. I find that my ear is more attuned to patois than my eyes.

Although this a well written novel there were times when I felt that its mystical elements and the all too gritty realism of how the family struggled to survive didn’t mesh. Only on occasion did I feel a sense of the numinous, mainly through the chapters narrated by Malia, the mother. She was my favourite character given her strong sense of connection with the land and ancestors. Yet as not everyone does feel this kind of communion perhaps it was more true to life.

Kawai Strong Washburn’s writing is assured and lyrical and his love for the traditional culture of Hawaii shines through. I discovered an interview that he had given to the LA Review of Books where he provided a list of books about the history of Hawaii and the South Pacific. I rather wished such a list had been included in his Acknowledgements.

Overall, a unique novel that I certainly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my pre-publication e-book of this title.

The book opens in Kuala-Kona, Hawaii, home to the Flores family. They are struggling to make ends meet but when seven-year-old Nainoa is saved by sharks when he falls overboard a cruise ship, as his family, and the rest of the boat’s passengers, watch on horrified and helpless, things start to turn around for them. The story of his miraculous rescue spreads like wildfire and, soon, Noa discovers that he has developed healing powers. His legendary status and unique ability result in a new, much needed income for the family but it doesn’t sustain them for long and soon the family must again seek new solutions to stay afloat.

I’ve never read a book set in Hawaii or about Hawaiian gods and myths before, nor have I been lucky enough to visit the country or learn about its history and legends, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to read this title. The author paints a vivid picture of Hawaii as more than just the one-dimensional paradise it is so often depicted as in media. The sense of innate belonging and the extreme love and respect of the land each member of the Flores family holds is beautiful and moving – when the narrative took us away from Hawaii, I found myself yearning for it just like the characters.

The myth that is interwoven is intriguing and engrossing. The issue for me was that there simply wasn’t enough of it! Since I wasn’t familiar with the mythology, it was a little hard to follow and maybe less ignorant will get on better than I did but I still wish that there was just more included, even though I did feel lost at points.

The story is narrated by the Flores family and mainly flits between the perspectives of Malia, the mother, Nainoa and Dean, the two sons and the daughter Kaui. I loved how each character had a distinct voice and narrative style, but the constant change of voice left me detached from the characters.

I found Nainoa’s sections the most interesting, followed my Malia’s but felt that too much time was spent with Dean and Kaui and I grew tired of the sibling rivalry theme and their bitterness. I craved further exploration of Nainoa’s ‘gift’ and his complicated feelings regarding being forced into the role of ‘The Chosen One’, as well as more of Malia’s enlightening commentary on their ancestors and the history of the island.

Unfortunately, I felt the novel failed to deliver on what the blurb and early write ups led me to believe it promised. It’s incredibly well written but I found that while it started strong, it floundered and dragged a little in the middle before picking back up at the end. It’s strong exploration of family drama and the socio-economic struggles of native Hawaiians both at home and in the continental United States but wasn’t as magical as I’d hoped.

I really enjoyed the characters and the setting of the book. It was with some magical realism. I liked the coming of age aspect of it. Good writing and interesting story.

Overall, I enjoyed it.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it was unique and unusual which always interests r when I find a new author to read.

This is full of magical realism and some Hawaii folklore.

The storytelling is interesting and kept me reading to find out more. 

Give this book a try

This is a beautifully written story but I feel that I did not fully connect with the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is a wonderful, heartbreaking drama about a Hawaiian family, with a touch of magical realism.  Nainoa was conceived on a night when spirits, Night Marchers, walked the ridge of the valley, and from an early age it was obvious to his parents that the boy was special, maybe even touched by the Hawaiian gods. 
An engrossing and moving story about myths and legends of Hawaii and, ultimately, the importance of family.

Hmmm, this one is a curious novel. It begins with a miracle – a young boy, Nainoa Flores, is conceived in Hawaii whilst the spirits and ancient Hawaiian gods are on the march and, seven years later, the same boy is saved from drowning by a shiver of sharks. His parents take these acts as a sign and, sure enough, the young boy begins to perform miracles – healing the sick and providing for his impoverished family who are struggling to make ends meet amidst the collapse of the sugar cane industry.

It is a remarkable set-up and you wonder, as you read the gorgeous and poetic prose, where are we heading? What are the themes we are going to explore? Will it be a, ‘what if the second coming happened today’? Perhaps this will also be shot through with racism and how this modern-day Jesus would lift the poor and marginalised of today up from the bottom?

Yet, not to put too fine a point on it, nothing like this happens at all. Nothing. Instead, this remarkable intro unravels into endless chapters of how Nainoa’s siblings – his elder brother and younger sister – struggle in his shadow. This is barely a story about Nainoa at all.

And, more than this, this unexpected diversion is not bolstered with a strong sense of purpose or narrative drive. It is not clear what the plot is – we, after all, have been diverted from the story we expected – but the lives of his siblings are not necessarily interesting or saturated with conflict that would make this 400+-page book a page turner.

And all of this surprises me as there was a lot of expectation around this novel – publishers Canongate acquired the book at auction and it is their leading debut for 2020. They have it billed as, "an epic Hawaiian story of family, exile and the devastating search for salvation, blending Hawaiian myth with the broken American dream". That book sounds amazing but this resulting novel is not quite it. It doesn’t have the right set-up or focus to claim that, and its take on the ‘American Dream’ is lost in endless squabbles between parents and children.

A lot of promise – and a fascinating set of early chapters – but, for me, this novel does not deliver on that promise.

I think that, I did not quite understand this book.
I enjoyed it, but it felt faintly mystifying at all times, and at a particular point in the storyline, I was staggered when something big happened to a MC - I felt like what? Why has this occurred? Doesn't this person have to do this thing or that thing?
It was sad at times, and excellent at depicting the struggles of a poor family of colour. For me, it just didn't click, so I'm going to give it three stars but still recommend it to others if they like the sound of the blurb, as it's not the books fault I didn't get it!

This book intrigued me from the start. Powerful imagery wrapped in the myths of Hawaii whilst telling the intertwined story of siblings and their parents struggling to make their own unique ways in life. There is magic and reality clashing and merging at every point of the story and as the reader you root for all the characters to succeed, find their path and maybe happiness. This is a coming of age book with a difference - powerful story telling that stays with you long after you have read the last page.

I have been transported by this novel. There's magical realism and a generational family saga against the dramatic background of the Hawaiian islands; the legends and power of Hula made my head spin. One for lovers of Karen Russell and the kind of novel that is a starting point for further exploration of the cultural history of the islands it is set on.

A simple story at first sight. A boy is saved from drowning by sharks and his family see this as a sign of good things to come. However, his siblings feel that they are now not as loved or as cherished as their brother and resentment starts to grow. The sons leave Hawaii and travel to the USA to make something of themselves and it’s there that the story takes on another turn and twist.

It’s actually hard to fully describe this novel as it’s more like a dream sequences in many ways. It’s magical and mystical but look closely and there’s some serious topics too. The failed American dream, the poverty caused by economic downturn,and the struggles within a family.

I really enjoyed this. Tropical light and shade in one novel. Layered family drama with a stunning backdrop. Recommended.

Sharks In the Time of Saviours by Kawai Strong Washburn is technically my first read of 2020 and what a truly enthralling read. So much so I stayed up way past midnight to finish it! This is a book that needs to be experienced, to be breathed in to your soul and made a part of you. It is one I can see myself reading again and again over the years.
The story takes place in Hawai’i, O'ahu, and the mainland. The writing is so transportive I felt like I was back visiting again for a short time. It is told from the viewpoint of the Flores family with Malia (mother), Dean and Nainoa (sons), and Kaui (daughter) being the main narrators. The islands were a main character as well and had plenty to say throughout. The Flores' are all such exquisitely flawed individuals but much like a parent loves their children no matter what, as a reader you are sometimes angry with them but never stop cherishing them. I really don't want to talk about the plot at all. Reading the synopsis is enough if you must but absolutely try going into this with no knowledge. You will be handsomely rewarded.
I loved Malia's voice the most. Her knowledge of things connected to their ancestors was so grounding. There is also this delicious sense of foreboding coursing throughout. Most of the time we want the characters we love to run away from danger, to survive. In this case I was urging them forward into what, I really had no idea. When this book is released in April, grab a copy and settle in.
Thank you to Canongate and Netgalley for an advanced review copy. All opinions are absolutely my own.

Sharks in the Time of Saviours is the story of a family, a miraculous son, and life in modern Hawaii. When Nainoa is seven, he is saved from drowning by sharks, and his parents see this as a sign things are looking up for them. But things aren't simple for Nainoa, and for his siblings Dean and Kaui who both feel like he has a special place in their parents' affections. Each of them travels to mainland USA looking for something, but things don't work out as their parents hope.

It is difficult to know what to expect from this novel, which starts with a kind of mystical atmosphere as Nainoa is saved and becomes a kind of myth, but also looks at the struggles of economic downturn, and later the tarnished American dream. The magical elements, though vital to the narrative and the blended atmosphere of myth and harsh reality, are much less prevalent than you might assume, which works well with the different characters' senses of the myth elements of the book. Though Nainoa's narrative is the more unusual, it is through Dean and Kaui that you get a real sense of the novel's power as their connections to Hawaii and their family become complicated and change, and the dreams or goals they once had become untenable.

This is a novel for people who like stories that combine sadness and harsh circumstances with interesting explorations of place, myth, and people. For many readers it'll give new ways to think about Hawaii and how people might interact with it as a home and what they might seek in mainland USA.