cheryllovesbooks 's review for:

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

5.0

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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It took me a few days to gather my thoughts, because in many ways Wild Dark Shore was my book of the summer. From the opening pages I was swept into its raw setting and layered characters, with the slow inevitability of the story building like a storm. The ending broke me, and I needed time to absorb it before I could reflect. 

 

The novel follows Dominic Salt, caretaker of Shearwater Island, and his three children — Raff, Fen, and Orly. The island houses the world’s largest seed bank, but rising seas threaten its survival. After a brutal storm, a woman washes ashore. Fen rescues her, but her presence — and the secrets carried by everyone on the island — make survival even more precarious. 

 

I listened to the audiobook, which uses a multicast format. Because the novel is polyphonic, each character is voiced separately. It’s not dramatized, but the effect is intimate and powerful, adding texture to the reading experience. 

 

Shearwater Island itself feels alive: wild, unyielding, and unpredictable. The landscape becomes a character of its own — beautiful and frightening all at once. 

 

A gentle caution: the ending is achingly tragic. This isn’t a book to pick up when you’re looking for comfort. But if you’re ready for a tale of love, loss, and resilience against a harsh backdrop, it is unforgettable. Sometimes the most beautiful books are the ones that break our hearts — and for me, Wild Dark Shore was exactly that kind of book.