CHARLOTTE MCCONAGHY is the author of The New York Times Bestseller Once There Were Wolves and the international bestseller Migrations.
Her latest novel Wild Dark Shore is about a family living alone on a remote island, when a mysterious woman washes up on shore.
Read on for an extract …
ABOUT THE BOOK
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, 18 and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, 17, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; 9-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back towards 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 realises 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.
Read our book review
EXTRACT
She washes in with the storm, draped upon a tangle of driftwood. The girl sees her from among the seals. She picks her way through their fat sleeping bodies and moves to the surging waterline. Rough waves carry the lump closer, in with the tide. A shape of milky white lit by the moon. A shoulder, she thinks. And seaweed for hair. A hand draped delicately over wood.
The girl wades into the black roar. She dives under and swims out. Reaches for this bulbous thing to help steer it free. When her feet hit sand she rises, dragging the driftwood behind her. Swell slaps at her thighs and hips but she knows how to move with the water so as not to be tumbled. Preparing all the while for something terrible. Something altering. But a last wave sends the tangle onto the beach and the girl parts the curtain of snarled kelp to reveal a face, and it is not swollen or blue or nibbled; it is breathing.
The girl’s name is Fen and she lives here now, on this exposed patch of coastline with the petrels and the shearwaters and the penguins and the seals. She hasn’t been up the hill in a while, to where her family dwells in the lighthouse. She doesn’t like to leave the sea. But tonight the storm, the woman. Lightning on the horizon and rain she can hear approaching fast. She thinks quickly, and then, rather than trying to pull the body free, she drags the entire driftwood barge up the black sand as far as she can. She allows herself another look at this face, at this creature carried in from a sea too vast to make sense of. A gift for them or something rejected? And then Fen runs.
This is a place of storms, but this storm, this one will be the worst they’ve endured since coming here. She knows it as soon as she reaches the crest of the hill and collides with the wind. It takes her off her feet. In the distance she can see the lights of the building. A white shape flies end over end through the air: a bedsheet from the clothesline. They all know not to hang things overnight; someone will be in trouble for that lost sheet. Behind it one of the tool trolleys careens through the grass, is lifted up off its wheels and dumped again, spilling its guts, and this – these precious items being left out – is even worse than the sheet.
In the end she doesn’t have to struggle all the way to the house. Her dad’s been watching and the second he sees her cresting the rise he is running. They meet in the dark, on the trail to the shore. Even his considerable size is nothing against this wind, and he’s stooped almost double as he gathers her towards home.
‘Stop!’ she shouts. ‘Dad! We need Raff.’
‘I’m here,’ says her brother, materialising to take her other side in arms almost as big as their father’s, both of them hurrying her on.
‘Wait!’ Fen says, knowing that time now will be divided into before and after. ‘There’s a woman.’
**********
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte is an Australian author living in Sydney with her partner and two children.
She has a Masters Degree in Screenwriting from the Australian Film Television and Radio School, and a number of published SFF works in Australia.
Her novel Migrations was her first foray into adult literary fiction. It is being translated into over 25 languages, and adapted to film.
Once There Were Wolves, the New York Times Bestseller, is a romantic mystery about a biologist charged with reintroducing wolves to the Scottish Highlands in order to rewild the landscape and bring a forest back to life.
Her third novel Wild Dark Shore continues her love of romantic thrillers set in beautiful, remote places, and explores not only what it takes to raise children in a collapsing world, but the impossible choices we make to protect those we love.
Visit Charlotte McConaghy’s website
(5/5)
Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore is a breathtaking novel that weaves together themes of loss, healing, and the profound connection between humans and nature. Her storytelling is compelling, drawing readers into a world where damaged souls find solace in each other and the wild landscapes that surround them. The novel’s haunting atmosphere lingers long after the final page, immersing readers in its raw beauty and emotional depth.
McConaghy’s vivid descriptions paint nature as both a force of destruction and redemption, making it a living, breathing character in the story. The twists are masterfully executed, keeping me on edge while deepening my investment in the characters’ journeys. Every relationship feels authentic, filled with layers of pain, love, and quiet resilience.
What makes Wild Dark Shore truly unforgettable is its ability to balance darkness with hope. McConaghy’s writing is lyrical, yet powerful, crafting a story that resonates deeply. It’s rare to find a book that is both thrilling and profoundly moving, but this one achieves just that.
I’m now eager to explore more of her work, knowing I’ll find the same depth, beauty, and masterful storytelling. Highly recommended for those who love atmospheric, emotionally rich fiction.
(5/5)
I loved this book!! So much so that I’ve had to sit with it for a couple of days after I finished to order my thoughts. It’s just that good!
It’s highly atmospheric, gothic and psychological all thrown in to make one hell of a book! I can’t recommend it more.
The characters are so intriguing and you don’t know who to trust or why you don’t trust them, it will have you turning the pages to try and figure out what’s going on, who’s telling the truth and where the secrets lie. Shearwater Island, though a fictional island, feels real and the perfect place to set this book. The ruggedness and harsh nature of the landscape are the perfect backdrop for a psychological thriller. It honestly couldn’t be more perfect!
All of the elements work together brilliantly to give you exactly what you need in this kind of book. I will be going and reading Charlotte’s other books now as I’m sure they are just as wonderful.
I highly recommend this book especially if this is the kind of book you’re looking for. You won’t be disappointed.
(5/5)
Wild Dark Shore was a compelling read, I finished it in less then 24 hours, I couldn’t put it down.
The characters were interesting and I cared about them all by the end of the book. The setting was intriguing, the information throughout the book fascinating and I researched so many things because of this book.
I have read both of McConaghy’s earlier books and thoroughly enjoyed them both, but this one was just exquisite. I think this one will be a favourite read of 2025 for many people.
(5/5)
Charlotte McConaghy’s third novel really delivers. Set on the isolated, storm-ravaged island of Shearwater, between Australia and Antarctica, the Salt family are each dealing with their own demons when a woman is washed ashore. Once nursed back to health, it’s revealed the woman is searching for answers to a secret the family is trying to keep hidden from her.
Told in alternating chapters, each character tells their version of what has been happening on the island and how they have personally been affected and continue to struggle with the aftermath. The true hero of this story though is the landscape which is so richly and vividly portrayed that I felt I was right there with them, experiencing the aftermath of events and watching as the environment is changing and the sea is reclaiming the land before their eyes.
A wonderful read that I know I’ll be thinking about for quite a while.
(4/5)
Wild Dark Shore is at once, from the very first page, intensely atmospheric, a gripping mystery that morphs into a moving love story. McConaghy wields a special power when it comes to writing about the natural world set within the harshest landscapes and the crisis that faces our planet. Interweaving ecology with the intricacies of the human heart, Wild Dark Shore is an impactful, exquisitely rendered story that will linger on for the reader well past the final page.
(5/5)
In Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy takes us on a tumultuous journey and an absorbing mystery. It is also a tale about grief and love – not just for the people but for the future of our planet.
The novel is set on a desolate island, Shearwater, halfway between Australia and Antarctica. It is home to thousands of seals and seabirds plus a research station and seed bank where seeds are stored to help save the world’s vulnerable plants. It is also home to the Salt family – Dominic, the caretaker, and his three children – whose life is changed when a mysterious woman, Rowan, is washed ashore during a storm. Who is
she and why has she come to this remote island? The island is gradually being inundated as the sea rises and people and seeds are due to be evacuated in a month but in the meantime their communication equipment has been destroyed and they cannot call for help.
The story is told from the perspective of each character and blends the past and present to keep the story flowing. It is also about the crisis the world is facing from climate change and hope for a better future. McConaghy’s descriptions of different plants, animals, birds and sealife show her love of nature and deliver a message of a future where all this could be missing.
At first I found the story to be slow moving but soon became engrossed with the characters and their love and respect for each other and the land and sea around them. As the story developed and the mystery unfolded I found it hard to put the book down. Certainly worth five stars.
(4/5)
Wow. What an incredible journey the author has taken me on, When I finished reading this hauntingly beautiful novel, I sat quietly and shed a tear; For the isolated Antarctic island being swallowed by rising tides and huge storms caused by climate change. For its wildlife fighting for space and survival. For the Salt family still grieving nine years after the loss of Dom’s wife and mother of their three children. I loved their unbreakable bond and obvious love for each other, however, their reluctance to communicate irritated me at times. I particularly loved Orly, the youngest, his quirky character and passion for plants and seeds. Multiple POV added to the involvement and depth of each character.
I was hooked from the start when Rowan is swept ashore. How? Why? Can she be trusted. And can she trust them?
The Salts and the island hold secrets which are revealed in more of a slow burn than edge of your seat read – although the pace really picks up in later chapters.
Loved it. A great read and thoroughly recommend it.
(5/5)
I wasn’t sure if this book was for me, but believing it’s always good to get out of ones’ reading comfort zone, I dived in, and from the opening sentence, it grabbed me, pummeled me, swept me up in its unrelenting imagery, ignited every sense, and would not let me go.
The finely drawn characters, the twists and turns, the exquisite rendering of the island and the wild, wild sea enclosing it, the creatures inhabiting both, and the ever-present sense of foreboding left me breathless. Even after the final page was turned, it clung to me as surely as Orly’s beloved kelp forests. I don’t remember another book that has so affected me.
I hadn’t encountered Charlotte McConaghy before, but she is now well and truly on my reading radar.
(5/5)
A thrilling, intoxicating breath of a novel! Full of love and second chances. It fills you with a rush of plants, animals, and a landscape quickly succumbing to the sea, all lovingly portrayed and missed long after the story is finished! The writing is so visceral you are present with this father and his 3 children on a freezing, windy, stormy island in the middle of an icy ocean. And then Rowan washes up, injured, and changes everything in her search to uncover all their secrets! I loved it even more than her first novel migrations.
(4/5)
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy is a compelling novel that intertwines themes of isolation, environmental change, and human resilience.
McConaghy’s vivid descriptions of the island’s desolate beauty immerse readers in its haunting atmosphere. The intricate connections between the characters and their environment are poignantly portrayed, highlighting the profound impact of place on the human spirit. The narrative’s pacing is well-balanced, with moments of tension and introspection that keep the reader engaged.
The character development is particularly noteworthy. Dominic’s internal struggles and his evolving relationships with his children and Rowan are depicted with depth and empathy. Rowan’s mysterious past adds layers of intrigue, and her interactions with the Salt family are both touching and suspenseful.
While the novel is generally engrossing, in certain sections I found the pacing slow. However, these moments are integral to character development and thematic exploration.
Wild Dark Shore is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that will appeal to readers interested in environmental fiction and character-driven narratives. Its exploration of human connections amidst environmental upheaval offers a poignant reflection on resilience and hope.
(5/5)
This had me hooked from the start. Prose as powerful as the cold surf hitting the shore in the opening pages.
A totally believable story for our current times, with the environmental component weaved throughout, a warning of what societies will need to face in the coming generations.
I was concerned at first about the story jumping from character to character, but the strong descriptive narrative had me following along moment to moment.
Merging nature, emotions, drama, adventure, mystery, this novel had it all. A deeply moving study of human emotion and relationships matched by the environmental struggle faced on Shearwater Island.
Staged as a classic gothic adventure in the genre, we have a new contender widening the field with the environmental factor being introduced as if the two had always gone hand in hand.
Beautiful prose that has me wondering what is next in store from this author.
A truely poetic gutsy novel to get lost in. One that should be enjoyed by many.
So what this soul needed to revive my lacklustre internal bibliography.
(4/5)
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy follows the story of a widower with four children who are the sole residents on an island near Antarctica since a research team left for the mainland.
An unconscious woman is washed up on the beach and the family takes her in and nurses her back to health.
Rather than chapters, the book is divided into short passages named for one of these characters. Some are narrations and some are third-person descriptions of events, current and in the past.
In the beginning, the reader knows very little and the book is somewhat vague and makes for quite heavy reading. The last fifty pages, however, when many of the clues and background information that has been gradually slipped into the narrative is available to us, were much more easily read. We are keen to find out what happens when the island collapses into the sea and all the people on it are removed.
When I had finished reading the book, what I had previously regarded as slow and ponderous began to make sense and I better understood the writer’s approach.
People who enjoy character-led mysteries would like this book, I am sure.
(4/5)
A shipwrecked woman washes up on remote Shearwater Island in the Antarctic Ocean, home to the largest seed vault on Earth. The woman, Rowan, is rescued and nursed back to health by Dominic Salt and his three children, the caretakers of Shearwater.
It soon becomes clear that Rowan did not arrive on the island by accident. She is in search of her husband Hank, a scientist living at the research station on Shearwater. But the research station has closed, and Hank has disappeared.
As Rowan falls in love with the Salt family and the island, she uncovers threads of terrible events on Shearwater, both recent and long ago.
Author Charlotte McConaghy has crafted a superbly written story about love, loss, and impossible choices, entwined with a gripping and unpredictable mystery. The Salt family is skillfully drawn and relatable, while the threat of rising sea levels to the future of the seed vault throws the fragility of our environment into high relief. The stark beauty of Shearwater Island, its wildlife, and flora give a rich depth to the narrative.
This was a compelling read and a story I continued to think about long after the final page. I highly recommend it.
(4/5)
Some books haunt you for a while and Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore is certainly one of those books that I cannot stop thinking about.
The setting is the remote island of Shearwater, a place of wildlife and natural beauty slowly disappearing with rising sea levels. The island is home to a seed vault that safekeeps seed samples from across the world, acting as backup for potential loss of crops and other rare plants.
The story begins when a woman, Rowan, washes ashore during a storm, only to be rescued and cared for by the Salt family. Single father Dominic and his three children are the last inhabitants of the island. They serve as caretakers of the seed vault, waiting for the ship that will carry them—and the seeds they’ve salvaged—back to Australia.
At its core, the novel explores relationships, grief, and trust. Rowan arrives on the island searching for a loved one, only to find herself entangled in the dynamics and history of the Salt family and the island itself. As the novel unfolds, all the building tensions culminate in a dramatic climax during a powerful storm, where everything comes to a head. An engrossing and heartbreaking read.
(4/5)
I started reading the book when I first received it in the post however, I did not find myself engaged at all in the beginning. This is mostly a fault of my reading style as I usually like my attention to be grabbed in the first few pages.
I decided to keep going however and once I discovered who Rowan was, the story got much more interesting. It was at this point that, I read as much as I could whenever I could grab a few minutes. I work full time so my leisure time can be limited.
I really enjoyed the build-up to the end of the story and finished it yesterday in McDonalds, whilst my grandson was in the play area.
I have not read anything else by this author but today have reserved The Last Migration from the library to continue my journey with this author.
I highly recommend this book.
(4/5)
Unusual yet compelling.
An unusual story in an unusual setting: one would not think people trying to save seeds for posterity on a remote island could be the basis for a psychological thriller but somehow it does work. I could not turn the pages fast enough during some of the more tense moments! It will keep you guessing until the end, trying to make sense of what led to the current situation and predict the conclusion. While the writing is almost poetic at times and there is an undercurrent of climate urgency woven into it these do not detract from the main storyline. There are many psychological layers to the protagonists and the short chapters are set up to follow the story from each of the five main characters’ perspective leaving clues, like breadcrumbs, as to how things came to be the way they are. Overall, an enjoyable read despite the seriousness and at times the tragic nature of the themes explored. But do not let that turn you off as you will miss a fascinating story.
(5/5)
I am almost lost for words over this novel. What an amazing, powerful read!
Very quickly there is a sense of unease, almost panic, for the characters; the Salt family and the ship-wrecked woman who washes up at the Shearwater station. The author has managed to create believable characters that I cared a great deal about.
The setting was fascinating; I loved the descriptions of the flora and fauna, and weather.
It’s quite a dark story (it’s an appropriate title for the book!) but also realistic. And what an ending!!! I’m still recovering a day later and will definitely be trying to read her other novels.
(3/5)
The author has taken a unique topic and woven it into the distress of an isolated and fractured family. The setting captures this well. It was helpful to have the names of the characters at the start of the chapters so you knew who McConaghy was talking about.
(5/5)
Once again, Charlotte McConaghy takes the reader on an emotional journey that will stay with the reader long after they have turned the last page. I loved her previous book Once There Were Wolves and was worried this one would not be as absorbing, but it surpasses her previous book. Wild Dark Shore takes the reader to the Island of Shearwater. The description of the natural world transports you to this amazing place near Antarctica from the first chapter. Rarely do I read a book and find I am invested in all of the characters, this is not the case with this masterpiece. The Salt family will weave themselves into your heart, especially Fern and Rowan. The books will take the reader through lots of twists and turns as they question how far they would go to protect those that they love. Highly recommend this book and it is definitely the book to curl up with as the weather cools down.
(4/5)
I was immediately captivated by this beautifully written and compelling mystery. Set on a remote island, the story’s atmosphere is both haunting and immersive, with nature itself serving as a character. The island’s breathtaking beauty is matched only by its brutal, unforgiving landscape, which mirrors the darker side of humanity. The contrast between the harshness of the wilderness and the cruelty of man makes for a gripping and unforgettable narrative.
The novel delves into themes of both physical survival and emotional endurance in the face of profound grief. During the first half of the book, as the mystery unfolds, I couldn’t shake a sense of unease, both from the landscape and the characters.
The relationships at the heart of the story are crucial, yet at times they felt rushed and somewhat unrealistic, particularly with certain characters.
Like the author’s other works, this book also delves into themes of environmental conservation and destruction. I found myself researching the location and plant species that inspired the story, allowing the setting to linger in my mind long after I closed the book.