Shark Drunk

Awarded no fewer than five literary prizes in Norway, Shark Drunk is published in English for the first time. Author Morten Strøksnes (writer of several other praised reportage books) describes his efforts, alongside his old friend Hugo Aasjord, to catch a Greenland Shark, from a RIB (a rigid inflatable boat) in the Vestfjorden off Norway. This is a shark that can grow up to 26 feet in length, weigh more than a tonne and live for 200 years. Set over the four seasons of the year, Strøksnes visits the area several times in pursuit of the shark, and his story is told alongside titbits of history, fishing and ecology. There is a slight clash between the efforts that go into catching this beast of the ocean alongside the passages containing notes on conservation, depleted fish stocks and preserving the planet, but at least the two protagonists aren’t trawling the sea in a destructive manner. Shark Drunk is a fascinating and informative journey, written in a beautifully descriptive yet crisp style that is a must-read for anyone who enjoys nature, is interested in the sea and its history, or just wants to escape to some Scandinavian fjords.