Dominic Salt and his three children are in their final days as caretakes of a tiny island close to Antarctica. They’ve been tasked with closing the base down and ensuring that seeds from the World’s largest seed bank survive. But when Rowan washes up on shore, the Salt family find themselves confronted with their past and their futures. As the days dwindle down and the storms increase the Salt family and Rowan must figure out if they trust each other long enough to get off the island.
One of the things I love about Charlotte McConaghy’s books is the way she integrates nature into mysteries, emphasizing the impact humans have on the natural world. As always, I learned a ton from the story and enjoyed the way she tied in the Macquarie Island and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in the Arctic Circle into the plot and location.
I’m not entirely sure when the story is supposed to take place. It briefly references the various climate devastations and the potential for humankind to disappear, but it’s never fully discussed if the story takes place in the present or if it’s supposed to be more of a dystopian setting. Regardless, while the writing is beautiful, you can feel the isolation and fear radiating off the pages and I loved our setting.
The story itself though is a slow burn and flips between each of the characters present and some jump back into memories. Orly’s POV was interesting as he primarily gave us science lessons; you could hear the youthfulness, optimism, and love of nature in his voice. The pure character development throughout the entire book was excellent.
I listened to the audiobook full cast version and enjoyed most of the narrators. Steve West’s voice for Dominic Salt was a bit difficult for me to decipher but ultimately the audiobook was a soothing listen.
If you want a slow-paced – character driven mystery, with a unique and atmospheric setting, look no further than Wild Dark Shore. I’m interested to see where McConaghy is going to take us next!
AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP |★★★★
Wild Dark Shore is out now! Huge thank you to Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
