Goodreads says, "A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.
Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together."
Dominic Salt lives with his three children on a remote island that serves as a research outpost, and they care for a seed bank. His wife, Claire, died before their voyage to Shearwater; however, she remains present in his mind daily. One fateful night there is a serious storm and his daughter, Fen, who is seventeen and an expert swimmer, rescues a woman from a shipwreck. As they nurse this woman, Rowan, to health, they get to know her better and she them. She is actually the wife of a man, Hank, who worked at the research station but is not here any longer. As Rowan gets to know the family, she starts to enjoy them and feel a connection to them, but there are many secrets that not only Rowan is hiding, but Dominic, too. To make matters worse, their communication abilities have mysteriously been destroyed and they have no contact with the outside world. Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore is a compelling novel that's part mystery, part thriller, and has an environmental theme woven throughout.
Wild Dark Shore is told from various points of view including many of the Salt children. I especially appreciated the viewpoints from the youngest son who teaches readers about the various seeds that are in the seed bank and why they are important. Fen also has an affinity for the animals on the island and through her experiences with them, I also learned a bit about the geological impact on animals and climate change as Shearwater is slowly eroding and sea levels are rising. But the novel isn't all about the environment, there is also a huge mystery present that kept me flipping the pages. There's the question of why Rowan was on a ship headed to their land. Was she looking for Hank? What does she know? Then there's what Dominic knows about Hank and what he isn't telling readers. There is a romantic subplot between Dominic and Rowan, but the paranoia regarding their motives remains.
I thought McConaghy's writing was outstanding in Wild Dark Shore. She really brought the island to life and the mood of the story really made me feel like I was on stormy Shearwater. This would be the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy weekend. Also, I listened to the audiobook and it was outstanding and done with a full cast.
My only gripe was the events leading up to the conclusion. At times they seemed a bit rushed, far-fetched, and a tad melodramatic for me; however, I still really enjoyed this audiobook. In fact, I think it will make my list of one of the best audiobooks of the year. Have you read Wild Dark Shore? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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