Climate change deniers won’t like this novel…a sometimes sad, but also hopeful story of rising seas, changing climate and one families own tragedy and redemption. Here is my book review Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Rising Tides

This novel set in the not too distant future, looks in a dystopian way at climate change. We meet the Salt family; father and three children, who live on a remote island off of Antarctica. The island of Shearwater is home to a seed vault, a safe house for seeds of the world, in preparation for a global climate event. Dominic Salt is the caretaker of the seed vault. But rising seas are threatening not only the seed vault, but the inhabitants of the island. A former research facility has been abandoned, and the Salt family are also preparing to depart the island forever while they still can.

The Storm

The novel begins when a mysterious women washes up on shore of this remote island during a huge storm. Given no boats are due to come to the island for several more weeks, finding a half drowned woman on the beach is a mystery. The Salt family and Dominic are suspicious of her, but begin to nurse her back to health. Her name is Rowan and she has come to find her missing husband.

Book Review Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Wild Dark Shore has a wonderful collection of characters, both living and dead, who develop the plot and move this vividly described story forward. McConagnhy writes in a way you will feel the bitter wind on your face and the frozen sea water that surrounds Shearwater. You will also feel for the children, Dominic, and Rowan as their lives become entangled as the icy water rises.

This is a story of danger, mental illness, isolation, grief and love. It is also a beautiful story of family, and the feeling of helplessness when climate change brutally takes everything well loved.

Intense and poignant, this gripping story is definitely worth a read. *****Five stars for Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.

Thank you for reading my book review Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. See last week’s book review My Friends by Frederik Backman.

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