Book Summary and Reviews of Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Book Summary

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, Hawaii, 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 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 revisit 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.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. In Sharks in the Time of Saviors, Washburn writes in five distinct voices, one for each member of the family. What effect does this multiplicity of voices have? How are the narrative voices differentiated, and how do they function collectively?
2. Nainoa's trajectory in the novel initially adheres to a familiar hero archetype: he reveals mysterious abilities at a young age and feels an immense and confusing desire to heal the ailments of his community. How does Washburn complicate or subvert this archetype? Is Nainoa's characterization reflected in the novel's title?
3. Hawaiʻi plays a vital role, both contextually and conceptually, in Sharks in the Time of Saviors. While the Flores children all eventually attend college ...