27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Rick O'Shea recommends books where magical realism and delightful weirdness reign supreme
For a touch of whimsical madness on your bookshelf, try Emily Habeck's 'Shark Heart' or Sayaka Murata's 'Vanishing World'
Today at 00:30
How often do you find yourself tired of the same old Groundhog Day routine – not in real life, but in books? That feeling hits me all the time. The repetitive patterns, the predictable relationships, the endless cycles of loves and break-ups, pain, suffering and even death. This week, I've found two books that break free from that dull cycle, each exploring lives that are anything but ordinary, though in very different ways.
Emily Habeck's Shark Heart has been on the shelf at home since it was one of Sophie White's choices at my very first Writehawks event last November. Wren and Lewis have just gotten married; they spend their wedding night in a small Texas bed and breakfast planning their actual honeymoon later in the year.
