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Sharks in the time of saviours  Cover Image Book Book

Sharks in the time of saviours / Kawai Strong Washburn.

Summary:

A captivating debut novel that folds ancient Hawai'ian lore into an engrossing family saga -- a story of the deceptively alluring pull of destiny and the relentless pursuit of salvation. When seven-year-old Noa Flores falls overboard on a cruise ship, a shiver of sharks quickly converge on the helpless boy. His mother, without thinking, jumps into the Pacific to save her son and bears witness to what can only be described as a miracle -- Noa being gingerly delivered to safety in the jaws of a shark. Years later, the effects of this incident still ripple through the community and nest deep within the members of the Flores family. The parents, Malia and Augie, attempt to leverage Noa's status, and uproot themselves from their poverty-stricken life; Dean, the oldest son, struggles with the attention Noa receives, and places it upon himself to be the one to lift his family to higher means; Kaui, the youngest child, is often forgotten about, and she finds herself lost between being the brilliant student her family sees and expressing her true passions; and then there's Noa -- the prodigal child, tenaciously trying to uncover the full extent of his powers while dealing with a persistent sense of duty to his family and his home. Equal parts magic and harsh reality, this fresh family epic tackles the belief that one person, one master plan, can mend a family, a community, and brings to light the brutal, yet beautiful realization that no is going to save you. A work of bold storytelling awash with stunning physical detail and a profound command of language, Sharks in the Time of Saviours examines what it means to be both of a place, and a stranger in it.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780771094453
  • Physical Description: 376 pages ; 22 cm
  • Publisher: [Toronto] : McClelland & Stewart, 2020
Subject: Families > Hawaii > Fiction.
Sharks > Fiction.
Mythology > Fiction.
Genre: Paranormal fiction.

Available copies

  • 12 of 12 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Prince Rupert Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 12 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Holdable? Status Due Date
Prince Rupert Library Wash (Text) 33294002086395 Adult Fiction - Second Floor Volume hold Available -

  • Random House, Inc.
    Winner of the 2021 PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Novel
    Finalist for the 2021 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award
    A New York Times Notable Book of 2020

    “Old myths clash with new realities, love is in a ride or die with grief, faith rubs hard against magic, and comic flips with tragic so much they meld into something new. All told with daredevil lyricism to burn. A ferocious debut.” ?Marlon James, author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf

    “So good it hurts and hurts to where it heals. It is revelatory and unputdownable. Washburn is an extraordinarily brilliant new talent.” ?Tommy Orange, author of There There

    Sharks in the Time of Saviors is a groundbreaking debut novel that folds the legends of Hawai'ian gods into an engrossing family saga; a story of exile and the pursuit of salvation from Kawai Strong Washburn.


    In 1995, Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i, on a rare family vacation, seven-year-old Nainoa Flores falls overboard a cruise ship into the Pacific Ocean. When a shiver of sharks appears in the water, everyone fears for the worst. But instead, Noa is gingerly delivered to his mother in the jaws of a shark, marking his story as the stuff of legends.
         Nainoa's family, struggling amidst of the collapse of the sugarcane industry, hails his rescue as a sign of favor from ancient Hawaiian gods--a belief that appears validated after he exhibits puzzling new abilities. But as time passes, this supposed divine favor begins to drive the family apart: Nainoa, working now as a paramedic on the streets of Portland, struggles to fathom the full measure of his expanding abilities; further north in Washington, his older brother Dean hurtles into the world of elite college athletics, obsessed with wealth and fame; while in California, risk-obsessed younger sister Kaui navigates an unforgiving academic workload in an attempt to forge her independence from the family's legacy.
         When supernatural events revist the Flores family in Hawai'i--with tragic consequences--they are all forced to reckon with the bonds of family, the meaning of heritage, and the cost of survival.

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