A Book A Week

When I read Charlotte McConaghy’s sophomore novel, Once There Were Wolves, in 2021, I was captivated by its quiet profundity, sweeping exploration of nature, and deeply intimate character development. It became one of my favorite books of the year and left me eager to read more from the Australian author. So when her publisher offered me an audiobook copy of her latest release, Wild Dark Shore, I jumped at the chance. Once again, McConaghy dazzles, maintaining her signature exploration of the connection between humanity and the natural world while expanding her storytelling into a deeply personal tale that functions as both a gripping mystery and an unexpected romance.

Dominic Salt and his three children are the caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica and home to the world’s largest seed bank. Once bustling with researchers, the island is now nearly abandoned, its last inhabitants preparing the seeds for relocation as rising sea levels threaten its future. But while Shearwater’s wild beauty is undeniable, its isolation has taken a toll on the Salt family. Reeling from his first heartbreak, eighteen-year-old Raff takes his frustration out on a punching bag. Seventeen-year-old Fen spends her nights among the island’s seals. Nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears losing the natural world he loves. And Dominic, burdened by the past, can’t seem to move forward from the tragedy that led them to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes ashore. As the Salts care for the stranger, Rowan, their initial suspicion turns to affection, and for the first time in years, they begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, who has long guarded her heart, is also drawn to them. But she isn’t being entirely truthful about why she came to Shearwater. And when she stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, it becomes clear that Dominic is keeping secrets of his own. As the storms surrounding Shearwater intensify, the characters must decide whether they can trust one another enough to protect the precious seeds in their care—and whether they can finally let go of their pasts to build something new together.

In Wild Dark Shore, McConaghy expands on her signature themes of nature’s intrinsic value and our fragile, complex relationship with it, crafting an intimate and atmospheric story about family, grief, and survival. Her prose is breathtaking, bringing Shearwater’s rugged landscape to life with a vividness that makes even the smallest moments feel vast and significant. The novel’s characters are among the most deeply drawn I’ve read this year. McConaghy alternates between the perspectives of the five main characters, allowing us to fully inhabit their inner worlds until we understand them on an almost instinctive level. It all builds to a gut-wrenching conclusion that left me breathless. Wild Dark Shore is a profoundly moving novel that lingers, not with bombast, but with the quiet, lasting power of its exploration of people and the world they share.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2025, 18)