Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy (Review by Melissa Buchanan)

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy follows the story of the Salt Family as they race against the clock, and meltingpolar ice caps, to pack up what remains of their island home. Dominic Salt is the caretaker of Shearwater Island, home to one of the last seed banks on Earth. While the researchers have all fled weeks before, Dominic is committed to his task of unloading the seed vault and packing the most important seeds for the vessel destined to come in 6 weeks’ time. With a dead wife and three grieving children (Raff, Fen, and Orly), Dominic is trying to come to terms with leaving the job, lighthouse, and island, he’s called home for the last 8 years. Things become further complicated with the arrival of a mysterious and sea-battered stranger, Rowan.As Rowan slowly recovers and explores the island with the Salt Children, it becomes obvious that everyone is hiding their own secrets. When Rowan discovers a fresh grave, and no way to contact the mainland, these bonds start to unravel, and the worst facets of human nature are revealed. 

Serving as a backdrop to the character struggles and development is the island of Shearwater (loosely based on the real-life research island of Macquarie). A character unto itself, it is haunted by the ghosts of the past—humans who have died from the unforgiving climate and the animals who have been slaughtered in the name of the fur and oiltrade. McConaghy uses stunning imagery to describe the island, immersing the reader in the desolate, yet verdant setting, home to penguins, seals, and a tiny family fractured by grief, loss, climate change, and the ever-increasing pressure of time. 

McConaghy weaves a dystopian, almostgothic, tale with her lush descriptions and flowering language. The reader is transported to this mysterious island full of secrets, and a family yearning to stay the same, but being forced to confront their past, and future. The author utilizes five different perspectives to tell her story: Dominic, the grieving father with a terrible secret; Raff, the sensitive eighteen-year-old with a punching bag as his only outlet; Fen, the seventeen-year-old who would rather spend her time in the sea amongst the seals; Orly, the botanically-minded nine-year-old, yearning for the mother he’s never known; and Rowan, the mysterious stranger who has washed up with an agenda of her own. The different perspectives provide a further exploration of the island andthe human condition as the story unfolds. The pacing keeps the reader guessing, as it moves from vivid, languid descriptions of the island, to the harrowing emotional journey of Rowan and the Salt Family. Full of twists and turns, the novel ends with a glimmer of hope for what the future might hold for this family and the world.