by: Charlotte McConaghy
Goodreads description:
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 of life here, 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, 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.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓
This novel had a very original and a very exhausting storyline. It was hard to put down as I remember McConaghy’s last book, Migrations, was also equally compelling. This was partially a book warning us of the perils of global warming and partially a book about just surviving life on an island. Phew- it was heavy at times. I honestly think it put me in a mild depression for a few days after finishing it. If you want a broody survival story, this might be your cup of tea. If you want something lighter, don’t pick this one up. It’s definitely not a beach read-ha!
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓 3/4
Ooooo – this one is dark and a little depressing, but it is a very good and original story. A lot of death and destruction for a few people waiting to be picked up from a remote and desolate island. Different end of the spectrum from Theo of Golden – read them both for the full emotional roller coaster ride.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 