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, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward 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 realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, can they trust each other enough to protect one another—and the precious seeds in their care? And can they finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together?
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Maybe we will drown or burn or starve one day, but until then we get to choose if we’ll add to that destruction or if we will care for each other.
I saw this book on Cari Can Read's YouTube and immediately added it to my TBR when she said it was an interesting read. Despite being so simple, the cover art intrigued me, and then there it sat on my TBR list for a year.
When I finally got to borrow it on Libby (it felt like it was on hold forever), I decided it was time to pick it up since Dylan also praised this novel. I dove into it blindly. I didn't know what genre it was, I didn't have any idea what it was about, I hadn't read anything from this author—blind I tell you.
My initial impression when I started it was that it was going to be a slice-of-life kind of literary fiction. And then, as I read more into it, I found out it was a mystery thriller. I was not happy because my previous read was a thriller, and I intended to read a different genre. I still continued on it because I just wanted it out of my TBR list.
Now that I have finished this novel, I can say it was a solid, interesting read. I think this is my first time reading a novel that was set in Antarctica. I love the author's writing style. Everything was so vivid, and the imagery she painted felt like the book came to life. It felt like I could taste the cold, sharp air. I felt like I was there with the characters, uncovering the mystery with them. It was eerie and atmospheric. Every page was building up to what really happened.
But the dandelion—this single flower that has given nourishment to countless other living creatures—is considered a weed.
I love how nature was integral to the story; it reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing. It was injected very naturally into the chapters, and these are the ones I loved most. I don't know what it was, but from the get-go, my loyalty was with Dom and the children. I didn't care for Rowan, especially when I learned why she went to the island. Because what kind of person in their right mind would choose to go to a very remote place instead of being with their loved one? That right there was the first red flag I noticed.
I won't talk more about it because it would lead to spoilers. Just know that Rowan's character made me feel different emotions. I pitied her, I got annoyed by her, and I empathized with her. It was complicated, but in the end, I felt like she deserved better.
here is the nature of life. That we must love things with our whole selves, knowing they will die.
This book has time skips, multiple POVs, interesting family dynamics, and nice character development. It also talks about the dangers of isolation and dealing with grief. It's a contemporary lit fic with components of mystery and thriller. This is a page-turner that will keep you up at night because you cannot put it down.
Wild Dark Shore - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
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