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 instead, Noa is gingerly delivered to his mother in the jaws of a shark, marking his story as the stuff of legends. When a shiver of sharks appears in the water, everyone fears for the worst. In 1995 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on a rare family vacation, seven-year-old Nainoa Flores falls overboard a cruise ship into the Pacific Ocean. One of Book Riot’s Best Books to Give as Gifts in 2020. Named one of the most anticipated novels for 2020 by the Guardian and Paste Magazine. Washburn is an extraordinarily brilliant new talent.” “ So good it hurts and hurts to where it heals. MARLON JAMES, author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf All told with daredevil lyricism to burn. “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.

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

Named one of the Best Books of 2020 by the New York Times (#30), the Guardian, the Boston Globe, Oprah Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, BBC Culture, Good Housekeeping, LitHub, Spectrum Culture, Third Place Books, and Powell's Books. A finalist for the 2020 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2020. WINNER OF THE 2020 PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD FOR DEBUT NOVEL.

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