This story of a Hawaiian family is filled with magical realism and the quest of a family to find a decent life despite issues of race, class and poverty. The setting takes us to Hawaii, the Pacific and the Pacific Northwest of the US. It definitely is a strong debut although the magical is not my kind of genre. However, readers who are more drawn to this genre, might really love it.

https://spectrumculture.com/2020/07/19/sharks-in-the-time-of-saviors-by-kawai-strong-washburn-review/

Conceived during his parents’ valley getaway before their haunting by “night marcher” spirits of warrior gods, and rescued as a child from drowning by sharks, Nainoa Flores grows up manifesting magic abilities. He and his family bear the responsibility in a mythic ripple effect. His parents think he’s a “miracle” and a vessel of sorts for ancient entities, and they try cultivating whatever is inside him for what they deem is a greater good. His siblings love but resent him for overshadowing them, which drives them with a common hunger and rage to excel in their own pursuits. When existential crisis and tragedy befall one of their own, the rest erupt in repressed emotion and clash as they grieve in their respective fashions. Are they forever broken, or do higher powers and purpose have a final say?

In Sharks in the Time of Saviors, Kawai Strong Washburn tasks each Flores with telling their part of the story within the collective narrative. Noa murmurs in deep, reflective melancholy as he tries conceptualizing the visions and voices throbbing in his mind and the healing powers they imbue upon him. Dean hustles through life with his bad-boy, basketballer street smarts, feeling fated to chase his overachieving younger brother. Whip-smart, budding student engineer Kaui seeks thrills and loses her way following a girlfriend she falls for, but she finds clarity in dancing and dreaming of hula. Their strong-hearted mother, Malia, relays Augie’s and her tale of enduring economic straits and summoning emotional fortitude to help their children through. She addresses her chapters to Noa and the associated gods at times almost in fervent prayer.

The novel watches the siblings leave the roost for the mainland and, in their own ways, return to a new sense of home back in Hawaii or elsewhere after hardship. If readers wanted to pick a single theme encompassing Sharks, family rings true. Though in many ways fractured, guilty and imperfect, the Floreses share a deep love. It’s shown in all the odd jobs Malia and Augie work to provide for their family. And in Dean’s dreams to make it big in basketball or otherwise to take up their financial mantle. And in Noa asking his brother and sister if they sense the same forces he does within themselves, and in Kaui setting aside her interests to try to understand.

But pigeonholing the book into one central theme does it and the author a disservice. Washburn delves into a Hawaii hidden from the Americanized kitsch of grass skirts, plastic leis and luxury getaways with natives waiting on and entertaining tourists. Instead, he reveals how the island’s people are forced from their fields and culture for corporate development, then left to fend for themselves or adapt to Westernization. Dean muses how Caribbean people understand Hawaiians better than Americans do, despite Hawaiians being U.S. citizens. While running from police in Portland, Kaui clenches up, knowing they always shoot at brown bodies like hers and her brother’s. In their own nation and their own island home, their family and native Hawaiians are rendered outcasts.

Hawaiian spirituality permeates the novel. Malia’s steadfast belief in the old war gods, attunement to nature and the alluring bounty of sacred soil radiates to her loved ones and binds them in strife and comfort. Washburn leaves some of the cultural details vague or unsaid, but the Hawaiian vocabulary is easy to Google if one is so inclined. However, it’s an exercise in empathy and enrichment to just follow along without giving into the ethnocentrism of having everything spelled out in English words and Eurocentric ideology. Augie’s lone chapter evidences this magic realism best, taking him and Malia back to the valley of their first encounter with the night marchers. There, they are given the choice to run away like they originally did according to the legends’ warnings or to stare down the ghosts in defiance.

Part II perhaps drags in mundanity as Dean, Noa and Kaui establish themselves in the Pacific Northwest mainland and flounder beneath their ennui and pride, but this section may be the most accessible. The cast is distinct, human and sympathetic, but the harbored darkness between them through much of the book may sour readers on them. Plot turns occur, particularly in the pivotal tragedy that may shock people in how abruptly it ends despite the mystic potential for a miraculous outcome, but the plot isn’t cinematic in its twists. Rather, Washburn’s spellbinding, wrenching debut delivers five people trying to find themselves and each other across physical and spiritual impasses, with the essence of Hawaii and “ohana” as their guide.

Wow!! I really loved this book!! It is depressing, magical and yet somehow still hopeful... The cover is what initially caught my eye (and the title) because I just love sharks - and I especially love Nainoa's character and the role the sharks play in it. Told in multiple perspectives, and heartbreakingly real voices, Washburn brings this family saga to life that beautifully blends together characters that feel so real and moments of magical realism that reminds me of how much I love this sub-genre when it is done right (which it most definitely is here!). The use of Hawaiian mythology, language with the moments of pure magic juxtaposed against the very harsh realities of poverty and struggles all makes this an amazingly excellent novel. It's depressing, for sure, but also so beautiful and real and just a completely riveting read! I do wish that the there was even more to the ending - but not wanting a book to ever end is a sign of just how much you really love it! I mean, the sharks may have been a selling point for me, but this book ends up delivering literary excellence that I genuinely didn't expect. It's epic, and beautiful and I absolutely can't wait to see what Washburn writes next! This is definitely in my top reads of 2020!

Wow! This book was so different. I loved the writing style and the characters were all so real to me.

A beautiful novel about Hawaii and Hawaiians. I found this novel to be incredibly engaging and lyrically written. I couldn't put it down. If you're stuck inside this summer and want to travel, make this the book you read.

4,5/5

This book had me torn but ultimately I loved it.

We follow the Flores family across many years, starting when Nainoa falls over a boat as a kid and is rescued by sharks. (Yes, really!) He becomes thus an icon and everyone wants him to bless them, as he must be close to gods.

I struggled sometimes to change between perspectives in this book, as we change between all the members of this family, from Nainoa to his mother, father and two siblings but all of them had different experiences in their lives that added a lot to the story.

My favorite was Kaui, the sister, who was trying discretely to make a name for herself and just live her life but also coming to terms with being a lesbian. My least favorite was Dean because his parts are written as though he has an accent and that took getting used to, though I understood the purpose of it, every time I managed to get used to it, we would change perspectives again and that was annoying but is just a detail.

It was hard to see all of their lives unravel throughout this novel, but I couldn't stop reading and I don't think I'm ever going to forget it. I felt somewhat drained after finishing it but I think that is actually the sign of a good book, as it impacted me so much.

I kept getting annoyed at/frustrated by some of the characters for their behaviors but at the same time totally understanding why they were acting the way they were ; Dean and Kaui suffer a lot from living all their lives in Nainoa's shadow and feeling like even their parents don't care about them as much as they do about him, though they deal with that a little differently. Nainoa himself struggles with his "powers", trying to understand them, wanting to help people but not always knowing how but also feeling everything around him on a deep level and not having anyone to share that with or understand.

The only other thing that bothered me was the way a few sex scenes were written and described ; they felt a bit dirty and there were also a few crude jokes, that I wasn't sure needed to be there, though I guess it's just the author's sense of humor.

Truly unforgettable though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors is a beautiful work of fiction - outside and in. This is a character-driven story about the Flores family, especially the relationships between the three children. It's a story that explores Hawaiian culture and folklore that goes deep, as well as rich magical realism. Kawai Strong Washburn is one to watch.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This was amazing. I'm not usually one to enjoy mythology, however Washburn deftly weaves Hawaiian beliefs and myths into a stirring family drama.

The Flores family, like many native Hawaiians struggle to make ends meet. They decide to move out to a less populated island where hopefully life will be a little better. On the boat ride over, their middle son Nainoa falls into the ocean. Before either parent can rescue him, he is miraculously rescued by sharks. Gently cradled in the sharks jaws, he is delivered safely to his parents. This miracle sets into motion the rest of the narrative. Sibling rivalry, expectations and just trying to live life affect each of the siblings differently.

The story is told via first person narrative and each chapter seems to alternate between siblings and their mother. Normally this would drive me crazy, but it totally works here. Washburn's words just seem to flow so naturally and this was really beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

I liked this book but didn't end up finishing it. That's partly because it was not quite the book I expected it to be. I'd gotten the impression from the blurb and from other reviews that this book had a fantasy component to it. Really, I'd call the book magical realism with a Hawaiian flavor.

The author is Hawaiian and the descriptions of what it's actually like to live in Hawaii when you don't have much money are poignant and heartwrenching. While Hawaii is seen as paradise when you're looking at it from a tourist perspective, when you live there and get jobs like stocking Costco, loading bags at the airport or cleaning hotels, things are different. Hawaii is an expensive place to live because of the price of goods which must almost always be shipped in. Real estate is at a premium unless you're living in a tin-roofed shack. And then there's the racism between those of native Hawaiian blood and those whose ancestors colonized Hawaii.

Noa's mother and father are working class indigenous Hawaiians who are just barely getting by. When Noa has his incident with the sharks and then seems to develop healing powers, they can't resist allowing supplicants to ask him for help in exchange for favors or cash. Noa's still a child at this time. He might really have some supernatural gifts, but he is not left to learn how to use them in peace. He's essentially for sale. This leads to resentment towards him from his older brother and younger sister, both of whom feel that Noa is the only child that their parents care about. Noa's brother turns to bullying, basketball, and dealing drugs to get money and status for himself. Noa's sister works at excelling at school. She longs to become part of a hula dance group but doesn't dare ask because she knows there's no money for this.

All of the kids are quite young for most of the book. I understand that the author is young too, which explains his focus on childhood and young adulthood. For myself, I got tired of reading repetitively about jealousy and neglect in this home. No one was especially kind to each other, and I wasn't thrilled by Noa's parents treating him like a financial resource and spiritual savior- he was too young and not ready for that responsibility. It ended up being one more book about growing up in an unhappy home, with a bit of magical realism thrown in for good measure. While the Hawaiian cultural aspect was original, really beautifully written, it didn't make up for the story being told.

I do think this author has a ton of talent. I'm interested to see what he does next. But I'll be aware that I'm reading a literary fiction work instead of a different genre.

I so desperately wanted this book to be amazing. After a trip to Hawaii a few years back, where I tried to read Hawaii-based lit before/while I traveled, I realized there is a real lack of Hawaii lit, especially by native authors. Ultimately, this book had some of what I was looking for, but it had some real issues as well.

Ultimately, my issue was (covers face, peeks between fingers), it was pretty boring. The set-up of this boy being special and blessed because he has this weird connection with sharks was so interesting to me, but at the end of the day, this is the story of a family of very flawed people basically falling apart. To be honest, it was pretty depressing, and I really struggled to make myself continue picking it up, when not only was there no major narrative drive, but I knew that the chapter was going to be about one of the family members making a bad decision and/or hating their life.

What I enjoyed the most were the descriptions of Hawaii, the thoughts on Hawaiian culture, and the inclusion of ancient Hawaiian spirituality. So...all of the Hawaii stuff. More of that please.

This book takes us into the Hawaii tourists don't see. The Hawaii where a family struggles to eke out a living, and the relationships between the family members.

Each chapter is narrated by a different member of the family. There is not much differentiation between their voices.

It is a well written book but light on the magical elements. The characters are difficult and struggle with self acceptance.

Additionally, the ending was abrupt and difficult to understand in the context of the book in its entirety.

I received a free advance copy of this book. I am leaving my honest opinion.

Not what I expected, but it turned out to be really good nonetheless.

I only found about this book very recently from a 'new releases you should check out' article (maybe from Tor). The title grabbed me immediately since it has sharks in it. And the cover! As a marine enthusiast, my heart leaped with joy due to the opportunity to read a fantasy book with sharks in it.

I was wrong. The novel barely had sharks in it. It's more literary fiction, imbued with magical realism you could find in Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novels. It is a family story that started in Hawai'i about a mother, a father, three children, one of which experienced a possibly divine intervention. Or was it? The magical elements were so few I think some might even be in the characters' own heads. How about the plot? Oh it is so subtle people might find it hard to find. Nevertheless, if you enjoy explorations on identities, way of being, and all the jazz, you will enjoy this.

Boy, was it immersive. The Hawai'i culture was not only in the background but served as an integral part of the character's narratives. The writing flows really well. I got a bit impatient at times but there was not any torpor in the narration. The characters - the book is told from multiple POVs - felt real. Human. You just almost experienced the struggle.

A strong debut novel. I'll be looking forward to what the author has to offer next.

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the review copy.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book that I may not have picked up on my own and might have regretted never reading. If you are one that one can suspend belief and embrace the journey of magical realism then you won't want to miss this book. This Hawaiian family narrative is filled with beautifully crafted native cultural reference and lore that gracefully weaves in some pretty intense themes of poverty, racism, sibling rivalry, grief, self-identify and at the very core of it all, hope.. It took me a little while to get there but I'm glad I stuck with it because the story culminated in each character achieving destiny that stays true to the story.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a story about Hawai’i and family. The Flores family (parents and three children – Noa, Dean, and Kaui) struggle to make ends meet through most of the story. Each chapter is written from one of the family member’s perspective. The oldest child, Nainoa, aka Noa, has special gifts and much of the story revolves around him and these gifts (no spoiler intended). It felt like there was a “supernatural” point in the book through Noa. Each child has strengths that touch the reader and financially help the family. Yet, there are also numerous challenges because of these strengths. Each child felt no one understood their viewpoint, felt alone and was striving to be worthy. Sibling rivalry and jealousy was prevalent. A tipping point with Noa takes the story down a very sad road and each character’s response and struggles to the event is touching. The difficult decision for each child whether to stay on the islands or mainland. In Hawai’i, “everyone/thing are connected.” As one of the children stated about the parents: ”They kept me a person of two places. A person of here [mainland] and there [Hawai’i], and not belonging in either place.” The parents went through a great deal to provide opportunity for the children to get to the mainland. There seems to be a need to “escape.”

The book is much more than just the characters – it’s Hawai’i. It shares many nuances of Hawai’i and its culture, including gods, hula dance and music. Aumakua is a family god manifested in sharks or owls. Sharks are a key point repeatedly through the book especially surrounding Noa. Hence, the title! The book is about culture, survival and struggles. “The figures of our bodies become shadows and warp and diminish into the paddies, the river, the bay, as if we are made of the same water, beating into the current with the same motion the sharks are making now, everything blending into the other, it all flows into me and I flow into it.”

I gave it three stars (actually 3.5) because the book seemed to drag at times. The same point was made repeatedly, and I wanted it to move on. It is an interesting story but maybe a bit too long for me.

What I Didn't Like

When you read the blurb for this book, you go in expecting powers. I did and there wasn't much super about the three protagonists. So, there's that.

The two siblings who weren't gifted -- or so, they thought -- spent the whole time hating on their brother who was. It didn't make for good reading.

It takes a looooooong time for anything of importance to happen really. I hung on, so I was able to get to that part but many other readers mightn't.

What I Did Like

The way the book it is written, the descriptions, the language, a tinge of humor...these are reasons that kept me from quitting it. It's beautifully penned and brings Hawaii to life so wonderfully that you can't help but visit!

I particularly loved all the sections with the mom as the narrator because she had a way of describing things that made them magical -- supernatural processions or not.

The big message at the end of the book was a positive one. Instead of waiting for deities to save us, we need to take matters up as a community ourselves. Industrialization and civilization-centric clearing of vegetation are villains, sure. But technology has also gifted us with alternative solutions. By using hydroponics, for instance, communities can return towards sustainable agriculture and come closer and thrive. So, like I said, a beautiful positive message but it takes the book a long time to arrive at it.

This book checks a lot of boxes for me. 1. Magical realism, 2. Character driven, and 3. Insight into an unfamiliar culture. This family of Hawaii, mother, father and 3 children whose one son was conceived during the appearance of the night marchers. Delivered up by sharks this gifted boy becomes the centerpiece of a struggling family. Poverty, magic, racism and island lore come together to weave a tale of a family torn apart and in the end mended together. Kawai Strong Washburn’s writing frequently reminded me of Tommy Orange and Colson Whitehead, which is strong praise. Thank you netgalley and MCD for an arc of this book.

This book was everything. I went into it not really knowing much about it and I am so glad I did! I’ve always appreciated Hawaiian culture and folklore, especially after having a chance to visit a few years ago.

This book truly embodies the spirit of Hawaii. I still can’t believe this is Kawai Strong Wahburn’s debut novel, as i was completely captivated by the writing. There is a bit of magical realism in it, but if you aren’t usually into magical realism, please don’t let it deter you! The main focus surrounds the family dynamics and learning how each of them became the person they are. He creates these characters so beautifully!

I will say the ending left me slightly confused and wanting a little more, but my goodness. It starts with a bang and really doesn’t lose momentum throughout.

4.5/5 Stars

“I’m always losing better versions of myself.”

Sharks in the time of Saviors is the debut novel by Kawai Strong Washburn; and what an unbelievable debut, it is.

This was a truly amazing book. I feel like my words can’t really do justice to all that this book is, but I’ll try. This multi-perspective story centers around a Hawaiian family across decades, and is full of magical realism, Hawaiian lore, and some of the most well-fleshed out family relationships that I have come across in literature. The complex dynamics to each strand of the family, whether it be sibling relationships or parent/child relationships are filled with such humanity and emotion. The character work here is truly where Washburn shines, though his gorgeous prose and transcendent ambiance are masterful, as well. The only place that I think this book suffers is in its lack of a traceable plot, though I think that the nature of the story doesn’t really call for a plot-focus. I don’t think this story will be for everyone, but it really worked for me.

Thank you Netgalley, MCD, and Kawai Strong Washburn for an early copy of this book.

Interesting story about a family in Hawaii; Sharks in the Time of Saviors follows the life of the three Flores children and how it turns out differently for them all. I enjoyed the folkloric aspects of this story.

Sharks in the Time of Saviors is an emotional voyage. Sharks is a story of Hawaii, and the feeling of Hawaii under the skin for native islanders. Alternating perspective but beginning with their mother Malia and ending with their father, this book was an emotional gut punch that I"m still recovering from. Dean and Kaui grow up in the shadow of their brother Nainoa, who as a baby falls off the boat and then is rescued by sharks. Malia tells the story best, at the beginning of this book. Then, when he is a young teenager, perhaps pre-teen, a friend of Dean's blows his hand up with a firework, and Nainoa somehow heals him. From that point on, word gets out in their town, and people come to visit Nainoa, seeking help with various ailments.
This story does not want to be contained by genres. Washburn skips around and employs all kinds of techniques, ranging from magical realism to drama to literary fiction, and back again. Each perspective, and there is at least one chapter from the perspective of each family member, is distinct and unique. Washburn utilizes language choices and dialect to distinguish between each character, and this style gives the multiple perspectives a deeper foothold into creating such a moving story.
Throughout the book the characters move around the idea of wanting reality to be different than it is. In the beginning, Malia speaks about their family's poverty, and how they continued seeking a better life for themselves, but that it continued to be difficult because they couldn't afford many of the basic necessities of living. Noa confronts this, when he is thought to be a savior and is asked over and over to change the circumstances of those around him. And when he tries to save a pregnant woman and her child who have been in a car accident, he realizes that some things are outside of his control no matter how badly he wants the outcome to be different. Dean discovers this time and time again, first when he runs his basketball skills to their limit, and again when he's searching for Nainoa. Kaui faces her wall of change when she finally has a passionate relationship and realizes it's not what the other person wants.
Out of all of them, their father is perhaps the most grounded. He has far less input than the rest of the family, in terms of chapters from his perspective, but he seems to maintain caring for each of his children and his wife. His humor continues throughout the story as a way of relating to each other. In the end, although others believe he has lost hope, he continues to be the one listening to what is happening all around him.
I loved this story. There are some deep dark recesses of the story, but overall it is one of hope and one of perseverance. Life is not easy, and it only gets more difficult when poverty leads you to make tough choices. The passion Washburn has for his culture and his characters is clear in each sentence. I I gained new perspective on Hawaiian culture that I'd not considered before, which I always appreciate.