Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn is a powerful, lyrical novel about family, faith, and fate set against the beauty and brutality of Hawaiʻi.
 
Sharks in the Time of Saviors received strong critical praise, appearing on year-end lists from The New York Times, The Guardian, Oprah Magazine, and others, and it was named one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2020.

Blending literary fiction with magical realism, it follows a working-class Native Hawaiian family whose fate is transformed when a boy is miraculously saved by sharks and seemingly blessed by the gods. The book was widely acclaimed and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel.
 
💖 Why You’ll Love It
Stunning, lyrical prose rooted in place and culture
Explores faith, destiny, and family obligation with nuance
Blends realism with elements of myth and magical possibility
Deeply emotional and beautifully restrained
🌟 Perfect For
Readers of literary fiction with cultural depth
Fans of novels centered on family and sibling relationships
Book clubs seeking rich discussion around faith, belief, and identity
Readers drawn to stories grounded in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific
 
The story centers on the Flores family. In 1995, seven-year-old Nainoa (“Noa”) falls from a tour boat off Kailua-Kona and is carried safely back by sharks, an event read as a sign from the Hawaiian gods. As Noa grows and develops mysterious healing abilities, the narrative alternates among the perspectives of Noa, his parents, and his siblings Dean and Kaui, tracing their migrations to the continental U.S. and the fractures that divine expectations create within the family.
 
The novel explores the costs of diaspora, the commodification of Hawaiʻi, and the tension between Indigenous spirituality and contemporary American life. It interrogates what it means to be “chosen” and how myths can both sustain and burden a family. Critics highlight Washburn’s lyrical, image-rich prose and his mixing of pidgin, Hawaiian, and mainland registers to capture voice and place.