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Wild Dark Shore

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Wild Dark Shore

By: Charlotte McConaghy
Narrated by: Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, Steve West
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About this listen

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, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, 18 and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, 17, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; 9-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can't stop turning back towards the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.

Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn't telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realises Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters 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 heartstopping twists, dizzying beauty and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is a story about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us is ending.

©2025 Charlotte McConaghy (P)2025 Macmillan Audio. This edition published by Penguin Random House Australia
Editors Select Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt Scary

Editorial Review

Sub-Antarctic noir meets a love letter to the natural world
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of a remote island near Antarctica, home to the Shearwater research base and the world’s largest seed bank. Rising seas have been threatening the island, so the family must prepare to evacuate. When a woman named Rowan washes up on shore, the Salts take her in and nurse her back to health. As Rowan recovers, she gets to know the family: Raff, Dominic’s oldest son, is doing his best to channel his grief and rage from tragic heartbreak; Fen, his 17-year-old sister, is such a water creature that she lives among the seals; and Orly, the youngest boy, is consumed with love for the natural world. The storytelling moves through each character’s perspective, voiced by a stellar cast of narrators: Cooper Mortlock, Katherine Littrell, Saskia Maarleveld, and Steve West. It’s an immersive, moody listen that left me in tears in the best way possible. —Tricia F., Audible Editor

Critic Reviews

'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

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Loved this book. Characters were all well developed and the descriptions of the weather, light, sea, animals, island was incredible and mesmerising. Worth listening to.

Sad, scary story, beautiful read!!!

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Beautifully articulates what it means to be human in this time...to procreate or not, knowing the future our children will face...to keep hold of hope or give in to hopelessness...is love a purpose in itself or mere folly? At once heartbreaking and yet soaring in it's depiction of the natural world. This should be on every high school reading list.

resonating

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I enjoyed the characters and setting equally. I definitely recommend this book. It’s an easy read

A page-turner.

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A superb new Australian novel brilliantly read by the cast. Gripping story blending environmental themes, romance and thriller in a dramatic location. Loved this.

Superb and gripping story

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I gave this book 5 stars. What a moving, important story. A must read.

Incredible Read

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Amazingly beautiful. So well written I felt like I was really there feeling everything experiencing it all. The characters are richly crafted and the environment and all the different fauna are all characters too. Well narrated.
Charlotte M has done it again.
Her work is gift.
I didn’t want it to end……..

From start to finish: Wonderful

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I loved the feeling of place of both the Island and the Snowy Mountains. The characters were wonderfully depicted.

The feeling of place

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I visited Antarctica in 2007 and the descriptions in this book were so mesmerising it was I was taken back in time.
Loved every word. Sad when it finished. Great performance by the narrators as well

Antarctica Revisited

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It felt like I was on Shearwater with the characters, the description of the island was so powerful. Amazing narration by the cast, best I have experienced. Loved the story, surprises to the plot throughout. A gripping story of love, loss and hope.

Epic audio experience and heartfelt story!

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I have no words, I’m balling my eyes out. A must read! Charlotte McConaghy is amazing

Beautiful

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