SHARKFEST ’24 COMES TO THE LOPEZ LIBRARY at 6 pm on JAN 4th:
Zoom recording here: https://youtu.be/U_tIjSGYRr4
Why wait ’til summer for Shark Week? The sharks are out there year ‘round!
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Peter Benchley’s JAWS, a Novel of Relentless Terror, local author Gene Helfman will discuss why the sharks wish Benchley hadn’t. Helfman will take a shallow dive into shark biology and conservation, and read from his just-published novel, FINS, A Novel of Relentless Satire. FINS is an exploration of the deplorable practice of finning, in which fins are cut off and the sharks are discarded while still alive. FINS lampoons JAWS, Shark Week, and the entire sharksploitation horror movie genre (think JAWS I-III, Sharknado I-VI, The Meg I, II, etc).
Unlike Shark Week–which seems more inclined to frighten than enlighten—FINS is shark-friendly, and is populated with sentient, compassionate, maternal, and goal-oriented sharks that just want their fins back. After being finned and discarded for dead, the sharks go on a rampage, until a brilliant, beautiful, beleaguered forensic technician, in league with an African-American tech wizard, battle malevolent white guys. Risking probable death and certain dismemberment, the heroes discover the secret behind the attacks, revealing much more than was bargained for.
Gene’s 2021 novel, Beyond the Human Realm, about a captive orca released into the wild, won two national awards for animal fiction. FINS is also an eco-fictional depiction of animal behavior (no, the sharks don’t talk), with a conservation message snuck in between the laughs. FINSotherwise departs from Gene’s orca novel in being frivolous, humorous, and short. Consider it a beach read that might keep you out of the water. Profits will again be donated to marine conservation efforts.
Signed copies of FINS will be available, as will shark-themed décor and free shark swag. The presentation will be appropriate for just about all ages, and please consider wearing a costume. The fin-fun begins at 6 p.m.
