A sudden snowfall in Houston reveals family secrets. A trip to Universal Studios to snap a picture of the shark from Jaws becomes a battle of wills between father and son. A midnight séance and the ghost of Janis Joplin conjure the mysteries of sex. A young boy’s pilgrimage to see Elvis Presley becomes a moment of transformation. A young woman discovers the responsibilities of talent and freedom.
Pictures of the Shark, by award-winning Houston writer Thomas H. McNeely, moves from its protagonist Buddy Turner’s surreal world of childhood into the wider arenas of sex, addiction, art, and ambition.
More reading
Author website – Thomas McNeely
Interview with Thomas McNeely in the Houston Chronicle
Reviews
“Stories that will stay with you a long time after you turn the final page” – Boys’ Mom Reads blog
“A painful look at a dysfunctional family” – TheBookDelight.com
“This book is raw and heartbreaking, but it is engaging as well because a messy life is still worth living, even if it is only viewed through rosy gossamer or a drunken haze.” – Ruthie Jones, Reading by Moonlight
