Wild Dark Shore

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
A TIME MUST-READ OF 2025
LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL

'Breathtaking' HANNAH KENT
'Spellbinding' Washington Post
'Had me gripped from the very first page' RACHEL JOYCE

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world's largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island's researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.

Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn't telling the whole truth about why she's there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realises that she's not the only one on the island with a secret.

A novel of breathtaking twists and dizzying beauty, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.

Review: A ferociously smart read, timely and poetic, and had me gripped from the very first page -- RACHEL JOYCE
A breathtaking novel of romance, mystery and twists that will shock you -- REESE WITHERSPOON
Enthralling . . . A finely written novel that's also a family saga - the kids, Raff, Fen and Orly, are brilliantly portrayed - a masterclass in using multiple perspectives, and an evocation of an ecosystem that's both poetic and science-driven * * Sunday Times * *
Spellbinding . . . Captivating . . . McConaghy keeps the novel moving at a blustery pace, thanks to her deft plotting and shared point of view . . . To read this exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane novel feels like following the last people on Earth as they prepare to leave some part of their souls to the most beautiful place they'll ever know * * Washington Post * *
Vivid . . . Moving . . . Wild Dark Shore abounds with evocative nature writing . . . We're shown why a person might withdraw from the messiness of life after tragedy and trauma . . . The novel also offers its injured characters a path back to connection and community, a risk McConaghy argues must be worth taking, no matter how fraught the future * * The New York Times Book Review * *
At once a gripping mystery, an exquisitely written ode to the natural world, and a taut, psychological thriller, Wild Dark Shore is a triumph. Charlotte McConaghy is masterful in her ability to show the intricate connections between place and the human heart, and Wild Dark Shore shows her at the height of her powers. Breathtaking -- HANNAH KENT
McConaghy writes beautifully about the natural world and expertly ratchets up the tension, as mutual suspicion increases and secrets are gradually revealed... A powerful read * * Guardian * *
A gripping tale . . . With a breathtaking setting and characters you'll love, Wild Dark Shore is a suspenseful and moving must-read * * Reader's Digest * *
Look no further if you're searching for a thriller that reads like top-class literary fiction. Written in sparse, haunting prose, Wild Dark Shore features characters so clearly drawn, you'll feel as if you're stuck on fictional Shearwater Island with them * * Marie Claire * *
A suspenseful, rushing read, full of short chapters, emotional twists, and a landscape it's all too easy to sink into and live in. Wild Dark Shore is an exceptional book that hands readers a bittersweet helping of sorrow and joy, sounding a clarifying call towards a symbiotic survival that prioritizes our need to do more than simply subsist: to put trust in each other and in the nature that surrounds us * * Chicago Review of Books * *

Prizes: Long-listed for Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction 2026 (United States) and CILIP Carnegie Medal 2026 (UK).