2 stars
Okay read. I’ve since gone back and read the original novel and found the original to be a less sensationalized account. The artwork in this is too over-the-top.
The incorporation of historical facts into a fictionalized story was interesting. Tarshis gives Chet a whole backstory and his own struggles outside the shark storyline, which makes for a fulfilling read. The reader can relate and sympathize with his struggle to make friends having moved so many times.
At the end is a section of additional information about sharks and the historic attacks of 1916, including a timeline of events, types of sharks, and facts about shark encounters.
The backmatter and the story itself seem to be of two minds. The story depicts sharks as blood-thirsty monsters, all teeth and “killer eyes”, who will go above and beyond for the kill. This is intensified by the sensationalized artwork featuring a massive great white attacking close to shore with bloody teeth, even trying to wriggle onto land for a bite. It captures the mindset of the time period as the 1916 attacks disproved the previously held belief that sharks would not attack humans and, if they did, they couldn’t do much damage. However, it doesn’t align with what’s known about the actual encounters. Thought it’s unknown for certain whether it was a great white or a bull shark, the great white that was suspected was young and half the size of an adult great white. The huge shark featured in the artwork plays up the scariness of sharks at the expense of historical accuracy, enforcing the idea of vicious monster sharks specifically hunting humans.
The backmatter takes a more modern approach, detailing how sharks must be respected and protected from overhunting. I side more with the backmatter and appreciate the information on shark’s role in the ocean’s ecosystem, ways to help avoid shark encounters, and the rarity of death by shark attacks.
The sensationalism of the actual story seems to conflict with the message of the backmatter. The attacks solidified the dangers of sharks, but the fear and misunderstanding of sharks as vengeful killers has promoted the hunting of sharks.
Good fit for those looking for a scary shark story based on real events, but this version paints them in a very negative light. I prefer the original with its more balanced representation of sharks as able to do a lot of damage but unlikely to specifically seek out humans as prey.