Shark Girl: Drama in Real Life (and in fiction)

This post has been planned for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to acknowledge a potentially sensitive connection with the victims of the recent Boston bombings. Books like the ones I’m discussing below can be great windows into the world of someone who suffers a physically altering tragedy such as some of the bombing victims–but we approach this issue with perhaps a bit more awareness and tenderness now than a couple of weeks ago.

I’ve come to really enjoy novels-in-verse over the past couple of years. In the spirit of National Poetry Month, here is a little information about this interesting genre and a look into two novels-in-verse that I’ve enjoyed this spring.

Novels-in-verse

A novel-in-verse is exactly what it sounds like: a novel in verse form (usually free verse, but sometimes the form is more structured). As my professor said, they’re novels with “intentional line breaks.” Talented authors use those line breaks and the white space on the page as much as the text to communicate profoundly. Novels-in-verse tend to tackle deeply personal themes. Most (that I’ve read) are in first person. There is no “he said, she said”–just the dialogue separated by spaces or the diary-like musings of the protagonist. As such, the reader is plunged immediately into the experience and pulled along quickly. Many are remarkably quick reads, despite the fact that they’re “poetry.”

Shark Girl

A great introduction to this form is Shark Girl, followed by its sequel Formerly Shark Girl. (both published by Candlewick, Shark Girl in 2007 and Formerly Shark Girl in 2013–this next month!). In both novels, Bingham varies her poetic form, including “letters” to Jane from people around the country who’ve heard about her accident as well as dialogue.

Shark Girl, Bingham’s debut novel, recounts 15-year-old Jane Arrowood’s recovery from a shark attack and the subsequent amputation of her right arm above her elbow. What makes that loss all the more poignant is that Jane was a talented artist–a right-handed artist. She struggles with identity as an amputee, wondering why this has happened to her, and navigating re-entry into the world of “normal” people. Her relationships all undergo shifts in this process, and Jane emerges at the end of the novel much as a new baby bird beginning to test its new wings. Shark Girl reminded me of books like Joni in which the focus is on overcoming a significant handicap. Unlike Joni, though, Jane doesn’t have faith in the Lord to fall back on. She struggles through her doubts and questionings on her own or with the world’s wisdom to guide her.

Formerly Shark Girl is a stronger novel and more universally applicable. Sure, Jane is still an amputee, but in this novel, she’s a senior in high school and her bucket list isn’t all that different from most seniors: deciding where to go to college, deciding what to study, getting her first kiss, and winning a competition or two. She doesn’t meet all her goals, but she makes a valiant attempt, and the novel ends on a great note. Jane’s struggles with her identity and her calling (although she doesn’t use that particular word) are genuine and well written. Her relationships are realistic and most readers will empathize. This novel will appeal to many high school students who are musing over the same issues–even if they don’t have the complications Jane has an amputee.

I’d rate Shark Girl a 3.5 for literary merit and 3.5 for worldview; Formerly Shark Girl a 4 for literary merit and a 4 for worldview. Both will appeal to high school students, but are approachable for middle school students, too.  [Cover images from indiebound.org.]

The “Real” Shark Girl

There is also a real live Shark Girl, referenced in Shark Girl: Bethany Hamilton. Hamilton approached her shark attack and subsequent amputation in a radically different fashion than did Jane. Hamilton is a very outspoken Christian and was back surfing within the month. She’s made a movie–Soul Surfer–out of her experience and has a blog as well. A great discussion would be to read Shark Girl and Formerly Shark Girl and then discuss in light of Hamilton’s real life experience:

• Why is Hamilton’s different?
• Will Christians who suffer these sorts of dramatic physical experiences always “rise above” like Hamilton or will they sometimes wallow and struggle like Jane does?
• How can we reach out to those around us who are struggling?
• What does Scripture say about suffering and ministering to those who suffer?
• What kind of letter might you write to someone you read about who suffers such a life-altering event?
• How can we pray for people who experience these sorts of events? (timely given that the Boston Marathon bombings resulted in a number of limbs-lost for marathoners and spectators)
• How do we determine our calling?

For more novels-in-verse that have been reviewed on Redeemed Reader, see May B. and Inside Out and Back Again. Don’t forget about our Poetry Contest! We’ve gotten some great entries so far.