Wild Dark Shore: Reese's Book Club Pick (a Novel)

By Charlotte McConaghy

Book Overview

REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK - INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - #1 AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR 2025

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (NPR, TIME, USA Today, The Economist, Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Reader's Digest, BuzzFeed, BookRiot, HuffPost, Jezebel, The Globe and Mail, Kirkus, and more )

"A breathtaking novel of ROMANCE, MYSTERY, AND TWISTS that will shock you...I love this book so much." --Reese Witherspoon
"A WILDLY TALENTED writer." ―Emily St. John Mandel
"Absolutely ASTONISHING. McConaghy's writing knocks me over every time." --Fredrik Backman
"SPELLBINDING...Exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane." --Washington Post

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

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. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.

But Rowan isn't telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all 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.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250827957
• ISBN13: 9781250827951
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

3 stars

WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy This was beautifully written; atmospheric and moody. I felt as if I was on the remote island of Shearwater exploring the flora and fauna. The premise of a family being the sole caretakers of a research center and seed bank was intriguing. (It compelled me to read more about the real seed vault in Norway.) HOWEVER (spoilers ahead)! A third of the way through, the miscommunication trope (ugh) paired with the “instalove” between Rowan and Dominic cheapened the story significantly. Why would Rowan fall for Dom when she suspects he’s a murderer (on top of him being a mediocre father)? Additionally, it didn’t make sense for Rowan to make the journey to the island (essentially risking her life) to find her dear husband, Hank, if she knew he was an evil narcissist. I mean, she didn’t seem so eager to find him after meeting Dom that’s for sure (how convenient)! Then (one of) the themes/messages was bringing children into a dumpster fire of a world is somehow “virtuous”. Yeah, no. Why was everything so black and white? Where’s the nuance? Alas, I will be avoiding overhyped bookclub/BookTok picks for the time being —they’re just not for me. Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

Twists and turns

I enjoyed this read a lot. The characters were well developed, and the setting was intriguing.

WILD DARK SHORE was never Received. Need a refund to PayPal.

Bought books elsewhere and disliked it. Was a book club title but magical realism thrillers are not engaging.