Wild Dark Shore cover art

Wild Dark Shore

Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel)

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Wild Dark Shore

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

A Reese's Book Club pick and a 2026 Audie Awards finalist for Audiobook of the Year!

This program features multicast narration.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • #1 AMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR 2025

An ENTHRALLING new novel from the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves

"A WILDLY TALENTED writer." ―Emily St. John Mandel
“SPELLBINDING...Exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane.” —Washington Post
“Abounds with EVOCATIVE nature writing.” —The New York Times Book Review

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. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.

But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all 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 breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

"This contemplative, heart-wrenching story is a unique and engaging listening experience made even more vibrant by its narration.” —Bookpage (Starred Review)

"The ensemble narration brings this intense story to life.” —AudioFile

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

 Best of 2025 Editors Select Genre Fiction Psychological Women's Fiction Emotionally Gripping Tearjerking Heartfelt

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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

All stars
Most Relevant
Original and gripping. Stunning descriptions. Sad and wonderful. life changing. A must read. congratulations to Ms McConaghy.

Breath Taking.

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I loved the narration . I am so grateful to the author for creating this beautiful story , important, meaningful and heartbreaking.

This story is captivating .

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Although there was a lot to like about this book, I thought this was a bit of a challenging story to follow.

Unique setting, complex characters

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The story was good. Interesting setting, lovely writing… but it was so hard for me to get past the horrible narration. The voice of Dom was particularly grating. It was a constant angry, over dramatic whisper no matter what the line was. Also, the voice of Orly, the 9 year old was narrated by an older male voice and the voice of Raf, the 18 year old boy was narrated by the same woman who did Rowan. I think I would have enjoyed reading this one more than listening.

Really bad narration

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This book was one that I couldn’t put down, trying to figure out everything as it happened. The twist, the writing of the book and the performance of the book were 10/10 I would definitely recommend this book!

COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN

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