November
07
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Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
I run a tight ship when it comes to reading. At any given time, I have two or three books lined up with a little room in the schedule should something unexpected or more urgent demand my attention. It is a well-established system and it works.
Which is why I am still slightly baffled by the arrival of Wild Dark Shore in my house. Much like its main character, who washes up on a remote island out of nowhere, this book seems to have appeared without warning or explanation. I have no recollection of buying it, borrowing it or being given it and nobody has claimed responsibility. Nevertheless, I am very grateful for the system breach because it truly is a great read.
As it happens, ships feature heavily in Wild Dark Shore.
Set over just a few months on a remote island off the bottom of Tasmania, Wild Dark Shore is a story of survival and the relentless demands of nature. The island is home to one of the world’s largest seed banks, together with a widower and his three children who have been responsible for looking after it. Time is ticking down as their term as caretakers is coming to an end and they are waiting on a naval ship to take them away.
Many things are happening at once in this book. First, a strange woman has washed up on the beach. Second, a wild storm has cut off all power and communications and third, the seed bank is fast being reclaimed by the sea. With it, potentially, goes an irreplaceable collection of seeds representing thousands of plant species, preserved as a safeguard for humanity in the event of a global catastrophe. The family (now with strange woman in tow) just needs to keep everything secure together until the ship arrives.
Such is the feeling of impending doom in this book that every storm – in fact, every wave – feels like it might be the one that ends it all. The compulsive need to keep reading is generated as much by the relentless cold, wet and windy menace of the natural world as from the mysteries unfolding between the characters. Admittedly, some of these mysteries stretch credibility, but I was far too engrossed to care.
Wild Dark Shore is Australian author Charlotte McConaghy’s third literary novel, following Migrations and Once There Were Wolves which also involve complicated human stories and threatened natural environments.
All in all, a terrific read with great pace, unique setting and something important to say.
And that’s my 2 cents worth.
