Review: Wild Dark Shore

Title: Wild Dark Shore

Author: Charlotte McConaghy

Publisher: 4th March 2025 by Penguin Random House Australia | Penguin eBooks 

Pages: 389 pages

Genre: Mystery | Thriller

Synopsis:

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.

My Thoughts

There has been much hype about this book and let me state from the outset, I understand why. It packs a punch in so many ways, terrific reading and I highly recommend it. Evocative and atmospheric, immersive and heartbreaking.

‘Is this how it will feel when the world starts to crumble? Like you can’t see where you’re going, and at any moment you could lose your people and be left to wander alone?’

Let’s see .... 

• classic mystery/thriller with loads of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the final pages

• the haunting locale - harsh, remote, inaccessible

• the characters - rare but true and so identifiable - exquisitely crafted

• it’s statement on the environment, climate change and rising sea levels

• the wildlife, the island, the risks to save the seed bank for future generations

• how it captures grief and parenting

• the way the author captures the sense of place - you will feel cold just reading it!

• the climactic ending that leaves you breathless

One hundred percent compelling - one hundred percent unmissable. Do yourself a favour.

‘... maybe none of us will be, because we have, all of us humans, decided what to save, and that is ourselves.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

 

Review:Where the Birds Call Her Name

Title: Where the Birds Call Her Name

Author: Claire van Ryn

Publisher: 4th March 2025 by Penguin Random House Australia

Pages: 400 pages

Genre: General Fiction | Family | Women’s Fiction

Synopsis:

Broome 2023: When Saskia’s free-spirited mother leaves her a caravan in her will, it doesn’t make sense. Saskia is a schoolteacher, tied to plans and schedules, even if they are beginning to feel restrictive. Then she finds clues in the van about her mother’s mysterious past, setting her on a journey to Tasmania with her young daughter Anouk, who shares her late grandmother’s fascination with birds.

In 1968, teenager Greta De Winter seeks solace in the Stanley wetlands, a swamp that attracts all manner of wildlife. Her father is the local councillor and her mother a taxidermist, working to create bird dioramas for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. But while the De Winter household seems harmless from the outside, a dark secret hides within.

When Saskia and Anouk arrive in Stanley, they search for the missing pieces to the puzzle of Greta’s tragic childhood. In the process of uncovering her family history, Saskia realises that her mother’s final act might also enable her to rediscover who she really is, and what she is truly capable of.

Set in the breathtaking landscape of Tasmania’s majestic north-west, this is a moving and highly evocative novel of family bonds and betrayals, by the bestselling author of The Secrets of the Huon Wren.

My Thoughts

Where the Birds Call Her Name is a dual timeline story set between Broome, Western Australia in 2023 and Stanley, Tasmania in 1968. Claire has seamlessly blended fact and fiction to pen a moving and heartfelt story. 

‘Saskia stood up and walked to the window, stretching her neck, her back, stretching the questions playing on repeat in her head and agitating every fibre of her: Why, Mum? Why give me your caravan?’

Saskia's mother left her a caravan and a ticket on the Spirit of Tasmania in her will.  Within the caravan, Saskia finds her mother's journal which hints at a life Saskia knew nothing about. Feeling unsettled with her life in Broome - hectic life of being a teacher and her seemingly distant husband - Saskia decides to make use of the van. Packing up her life, taking a break from her marriage and job, she takes herself and her daughter in the van heading off on a journey across the country.  Together they travel to Stanley, Tasmania where Saskia slowly unravels the story of her mother Greta 'Kiki' De Winter and what had been her unhappy childhood. It is a wonderful story of four generations of women who are connected by not only family but by the secrets that they carry. The descriptions of the unique Australian birds are both interesting and serve as metaphors within the story itself. Each chapter showcases a particular bird whose attributes are then revealed through the chapter theme - maybe resilience or strength, for examples. 

‘Kiki’s death has given me a wake-up call,’ Saskia spoke with more conviction than she’d had in a long time. ‘I want to feel again, for my life to have meaning and joy.’

Where the Birds Call Her Name is a remarkable story. How understanding the past can lead to self discovery, along with the strong bonds that exist in both families and with nature. Recommended for readers of generational tales who enjoy fabulous storytelling and lyrical prose 

‘The stillness broke and their hearts drank from the place where the birds would always call her name.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.