Wild Dark Shore

★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10

336 pages

What’s it about?

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers on an island off the coast of Antarctica named Shearwater.  The island was once full of researchers, but with the rising waters, they have all left.  The Salts are now tasked with bundling up as many species of seeds stored on the island as possible before the navy picks them up.  One night, there is a terrible storm and a woman washes up on the shore.  The Salts carefully nurse her back to health, but what is she doing there?

What did it make me think about?

Charlotte McConaghy writes convincingly about the environment, parenting, and grief.  And of course, I was wondering- what is Rowan doing washing ashore on this island? The mystery of it all keeps you reading.

Should I read it?

I highly recommend this novel. Charlotte McConaghy creates such a vivid picture of this remote island that you can't help but get immersed in the story. I felt like I knew each character and cared about what was going to happen to them. This story is full of mystery, and much like a tangle of yarn, it is very slowly pulled apart until all is clear. The author also illustrates what climate change might bring. This is masterful storytelling!

A passage I marked

"What I miss most is not any of things I expected.  It's having someone to talk to about our children.  The hilarious things they say and do, the insights with which they blow my mind and the ways they change frequently and without mercy.  I need her to help me process and deliberate and delight in.  I want to laugh with her. To be awestruck with her.  I want her to look at me in wonder, acknowledging what profound creations we have made. What I miss is having someone to look at in moments like these, someone who understands not just the talent or the cleverness of our children but the wisdom, the immensity of feeling they hold within.  Instead I marvel at them alone."