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

'I am in awe. I am in love. I am heartbroken. All of it possible, all at once, after a book as extraordinary as this one' CLARE DAVERLEY
'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.

Prizes

Long-listed for Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction 2026 (United States),Long-listed for CILIP Carnegie Medal 2026 (UK),Nominated for Lolly Award - Book of the Month 2025 (United States),Nominated for Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards 2026 (United States)

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
Wild Dark Shore is absolutely astonishing. McConaghy's writing knocks me over every time -- FREDRIK BACKMAN
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 * *
I am in awe. I am in love. I am heartbroken. All of it possible, all at once, after a book as extraordinary as this one -- CLARE DAVERLEY
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 * *

Charlotte McConaghy is the author of the New York Times, USA Today and Indie bestseller Wild Dark Shore, named Amazon's Best Book of the Year So Far for 2025; as well as the New York Times bestseller Once There Were Wolves, winner of the Indie Book Award for Fiction 2022 and the Davitt Award for Best Adult Crime Novel 2022; and the international bestseller Migrations, a Time magazine Best Book of the Year and the Amazon Best Fiction Book of the Year for 2020. Her books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages, and are being adapted for film and television. She lives in Sydney with her partner and two children.

charlottemcconaghy.com