Litsy

pick

The icy waters near Antarctica helped to beat the summer heat. McConaghy used all of our senses to create a stunning world, which added to the suspense of the story. This was my first book of McConagy and I was impressed with how she weaved the climate crisis into the plot. Thank you @squirrelbrain for the wonderful discussion. #CampLitsy25 @BarbaraBB @Megabooks

Texreader And wasn‘t the narration well done? I was impressed with it. 3m

5 likes1 comment

Read4life

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#WeeklyFavorites

Read with the #CampLitsy25 group, I really enjoyed this one.

LeeRHarry Snap! 19h

44 likes1 comment

DGRachel

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

pick

F*** this book and 1000 curses on everyone who voted for it so I had to read it. When I stop sobbing, I‘ll go back to the discussion questions I‘ve missed yesterday and last week, but ugh. It‘s riveting, with complex characters you can‘t help but care for deeply, so well-written, even with multiple POVs, and heartbreaking. Absolutely devastating. I hate you all (not really, but kind of) #camplitsy25

Megabooks, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

Bookwormjillk I‘m sorry this made me laugh 1d

DGRachel @Bookwormjillk Oh good. It was supposed to. I just can‘t believe Camp Litsy got me again. There were two books last year the I loved but were so emotionally devastating I wished I hadn‘t read them. 😮‍💨🤣 1d

AmyG Sounds about right. 1d

See All 13 Comments

squirrelbrain Love this! #sorrynotsorry 🤣 1d

Bookwormjillk @squirrelbrain seems like your job here is done. 1d

squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk - I‘m not taking all the blame - you lot chose it for camp! 🤣 1d

BarbaraBB @DGRachel it‘s emotionally devastating indeed but so so good! I am glad I‘ve able to read it in such good company 🧡 1d

Suet624 Love this review. 💕💕💕 1d

Daisey I‘m still in a hold list for this one, but this review still makes me think I need to red it when I get the chance. 1d

Megabooks Fantastic review!! 1d

Meshell1313 🤣🤣🤣 1d

kspenmoll Wonderful review! I loved it too. 💕💕 1d

marleed I just did that spit thing with my Starbucks reading this review🤣🤣🤣Count me in the camp of lovers of this book! 12h

59 likes1 stack add13 comments

BkClubCare

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

pick

I don‘t usually give credit to short chapters nor consider the multiple POV of a story but #CampLitsy25 discussion has me grappling to explain what worked for me in this story. I do believe it was excellent craft of setting the tension, layering the mystery, being inside each character‘s fears and my questions of why on their actions. Perhaps pacing was perfect due to my only having many short time spans to read it, thus off time ⬇️

BkClubCare To just think about and wanting to get back to it. I do have a criticism that some chapters were too abrupt and resolved too quickly, but that could also have been in its favor. I liked Rowan a lot and Dom was super complicated. ⬇️ 2d

BkClubCare And how Rowan could be conflicted about things but also strong in her resolve? Or how SHOCKED I was that it was Orly that destroyed the comm center?!?! (Ihad wondered about that from close to the beginning.) And sure, it wasnt perfect, but I liked the kids so much and rooted for them. ⬇️ 2d

BkClubCare Hank didn‘t get enough or maybe he was too caricature? Do you think that there might someday be a sequel?! And would I read it now that a seed of doubt has been planted re: the author‘s hatred of women? Lots in this but I am ready to move on and away, I think. #June2025 Book57 2d

Suet624 I‘d be curious to know whether she has plans to write a sequel. 1d

42 likes4 comments

britt_brooke

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

pick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Speculative climate fiction never sounds that exciting to me, but McConaghy‘s writing is just so impeccable. Lush descriptions, flawed characters, and a slow-burn mysterious situation combined for a solid #bookclub selection. I loved Migrations a bit more, but this was good!

Christine Perfectly stated, and agreed! 2d

britt_brooke @Christine Thank you! 🩷🩷 2d

CoverToCoverGirl I love her writing. Can‘t wait to get to this one. The only thing standing in my way is my humongous TBR pile, oops I meant piles. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ 2d

britt_brooke @CoverToCoverGirl I feel that!! 🏔️ 2d

75 likes4 comments

squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#camplitsy25

Welcome to our second week of discussions on Wild Dark Shore, and our final weekend of camp in June!

There‘s lots to discuss in this book, that‘s for sure!

Don‘t forget that we‘re only tagging Littens on the first question so check further down for the next two questions. Looking forward to hearing everyone‘s thoughts.

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain @Addison_Reads @AmyG @amiable @BarbaraJean @Bkclubcare @BooksandCoffee4me @Bookbuyingaddict @booknaround @BookwormAHN @Bookwormjillk @Butterfinger @Cariashley @Caroline2 @CarolynM 3d

squirrelbrain @catgusmax @cbee @ChaoticMissAdventures @Chelsea.Poole @Christine @CogsOfEncouragement @Cseydel @Cuilin @Dabbe @Daisey @Debinhawaii @Deblovestoread @DGRachel @ErikasMindfulshelf 3d

squirrelbrain @flaneurette @fredthemoose @Gatheringbooks @gissy @Graciouswarriorprincess @Hooked_on_books 3d

See All 81 Comments

squirrelbrain @ImperfectCJ @JamieArc @Jas16 @Jenniferw88 @JenP @Jenreadsalot @Jess @Jhod @JoyBlue @JulesG @julieclair @KarenUK 3d

squirrelbrain @karisa @Kitta @Kristy-K @Kspenmoll @kwmg40 @Larkken @Laughterhp @LeeRHarry @Leniverse @Lesliereadsalot @maggie4483 @maich @Mcctrish @MeganAnn @Merelybookish @Meshell1313 @Monalyisha @Oryx 3d

squirrelbrain @peaknit @peanutnine @Prairiegirl_reading @PuddleJumper @quietjenn @Read4Life @RaeLovesToRead @reggie @rockpools @Roary47 @Ruthiella @Sace @Sapphire @Sarahbarnes @Soubhiville 3d

squirrelbrain @skygoddess1 @Suet624 @Susanita @texreader @TheBookHippie @Thekidupstairs @Triplem80 @TrishB @Vonnie862 @Well-ReadNeck @willaful @youneverarrived @zuhkeeyah 3d

Bookwormjillk Multiple voices is hard to do, but I thought it worked well here. It added to the sense that each character only had a piece of the story. 3d

TheKidUpstairs I found it quite effective here. Especially because the characters weren't telling each other the whole truth, the multiple POVs gave us a deeper story. And I loved Orly's sections, they offered an opportunity for in depth nature info, while still feeling like part of the overall narrative. 3d

Susanita Agree that it can be hard to pull off multiple voices but this author did it well. For the most part, while it was frustrating that they kept secrets from each other, I didn‘t get the sense it was just done to serve the suspense of the plot. Orly was especially interesting, because he didn‘t seem to me as naive as the rest of the family described him. 3d

Zuhkeeyah I liked the multiple voices here because each character carried a different part of the island. Fen spoke for the seals and the water. Orly spoke for the plants. Raff was the voice of the whales. 3d

Soubhiville I loved the multiple voices. Orly was my favorite too. 3d

JamieArc @Zuhkeeyah I didn‘t think about that but really like that idea. 3d

JamieArc I‘m trying to think about if there were a POV missing, would I be missing out? And I feel like yes. Parts of the story would have been missed. There are so few characters so it feels like each one should be represented to give a full picture of both the loneliness and joy of the island. 3d

jenniferw88 I liked the multiple POVs too! I loved Orly too. 3d

Kitta @Zuhkeeyah oooh I like that description of how they were each a part of the island. 3d

peaKnit I enjoyed multiple POV also because you never knew who was not telling the whole truth. Or was everyone telling “their” truth?! 3d

CBee I loved the multiple and different POVs. But, that‘s a favorite format of mine anyway. My favorite was Orly - he added an innocence that was needed but also a wisdom that you wouldn‘t expect. An old soul ♥️ 3d

fredthemoose I enjoyed all of the characters but identified most with Rowan because as a reader I was learning the island‘s and family‘s history and secrets with her. I also recognized her ambivalence about marriage and family. 3d

Megabooks I love multiple POVs as a rule, but in this book, as in most I guess, I preferred the adult POVs. (edited) 3d

BarbaraBB @Zuhkeeyah That‘s a great take on the story indeed. 3d

BarbaraBB @JamieArc I agree that I‘d be missing out if one of the PoV‘s were missing. 3d

BarbaraBB I really liked Orly and how he added much to the story with his innocence - as @CBee already pointed out. But like @Megabooks I prefer adult pov‘s in general and I loved Dom‘s complicated attitude towards his kids, grief and the world in general and how Rowan‘s arrival made him see things differently somehow. 3d

Karisa @Susanita So many secrets! I wanted to yell at them I was so frustrated. 😅That tension propels the story but also ends up being deadly. As a reader seeing all POV, we are watching a slow motion train wreck. Beautiful storytelling! 3d

CBee @BarbaraBB I usually prefer adult POVs as well. Orly seemed much wiser than his 9 years and I think provided a break from the immense grief and sadness the others were struggling with. 3d

AmyG I, too, liked the different narrators as each revealed different parts of the story. Yes to Orly….I had fun googling plants. 2d

BarbaraBB @CBee That is true, I loved all scenes he was in and his view on the island and its inhabitants. 2d

squirrelbrain @Zuhkeeyah - I love that idea! ❤️ 2d

mcctrish I love @Zuhkeeyah ‘s take on the three children speaking for themselves and for part of the island. I liked their voices POV the most - Dom was so complicated with grief and what felt like menace sometimes - the kids felt more in the present moment. Dom was the one that held the mystery 2d

squirrelbrain I agree @Megabooks @barbarabb and I‘m afraid I didn‘t love Orly as much as others did. 😬 @TheKidUpstairs @Susanita @Soubhiville @jenniferw88 @CBee @AmyG - I found him a bit too precocious. 2d

squirrelbrain @fredthemoose - I identified with Roman the most too, for the same reason as you - through her we learnt about the island. I agree with you as well, @mcctrish , re Dom - I found him slightly threatening, probably because Fen seemed scared of him. 2d

CBee @squirrelbrain I can absolutely see that. He was quite precocious! 2d

Texreader The audiobook made the different narratives so pronounced and so well done. I loved it. 2d

Texreader @Zuhkeeyah Wow!! 2d

kspenmoll I did enjoy all their voices- I felt I learned from Orly about the land‘s nature. Each person had something different to contribute to the telling of this story. 2d

Ruthiella I don‘t like multiple narrative in general, which is probably why the book didn‘t work for me as well. Ronan was the easiest or most accessible because like the reader, she is coming to the situation ignorant of the island‘s history. 2d

Lesliereadsalot I loved this book and part of the attraction for me was all the different voices showing me their take on their lives. They were all so individual, so alone with their thoughts. I felt like they were all trying their best in an impossible situation. I did love Orly, so smart. And Rowan, trying to make sense of this island. 2d

Deblovestoread I generally love multiple POV and this was no exception. And Orly was the light in an otherwise fairly dark book. Everyone‘s comments are so spot on. 2d

TheKidUpstairs @squirrelbrain I can see that, he definitely was a bit precocious. But I think being brought up in that way, it felt like an earned precociousness, if that makes sense. He's only had his family (and their traumas), scientists, and nature for company. 2d

TheKidUpstairs @Zuhkeeyah I love that way of describing the characters, you're so right! 2d

TEArificbooks Usually five POV is too many for me but she made it work well here. I definitely liked Orly, he reminded me of my son. 2d

Maggie4483 It's hard to do multiple POV well, and in an unskilled writer's hands, every character has the same voice. But I think she did a great job. I feel like you could open up the book to a random page, read a few sentences, and know exactly who was speaking. I also thought it was interesting that Dom, Rowan, and Orly were in first person, but Raff and Fen were in third. 2d

Ruthiella I think I have hit upon why I disliked this book so much. I love character-driven narratives. But this was trauma driven. Everyone is acting and reacting based on their wounds. Their trauma is their only character trait. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @JamieArc weirdly I am trying to think back to if we got much if any of Fen. I don't remember her POV at all. and unfortunately unline @TheKidUpstairs I am not super interested in botany and after a couple of pages of Orly I started skipping his talks all together. Overall I thought it was too much and I could have used less. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Ruthiella I agree. I think that it was too much. It didn't work for me either. I could have used maybe 2 POVs, Knowing they are all lying. The rest could have been communicated through dialogue between the characters. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Maggie4483 this threw me off so much. I didn't enjoy the change in 1st to 3rd person. I reread a lot of pieces because I couldn't understand why she would do it this way. I am glad it worked for you though! 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Ruthiella agree. Mcconaghy seems to relish their pain. It could even be classified as “Trauma Porn“ 2d

TheKidUpstairs @ChaoticMissAdventures I totally get that. I LOVE that stuff, and love reading NF about plant life, so it was completely up my alley, but I can see that it could be too much for someone who doesn't have my same level of interest! 2d

BkClubCare I have 30 pages yet to read and no time so will check in tonight! 💖 2d

Jas16 I liked the multiple narratives and gaining insight through different perspectives. I think they each had a distinct voice and added a lot to the understanding of their situation on the island. 2d

Christine I loved the multiple POVs, with one exception being that the audio narration for Dom felt very aggressive to me - definitely conveyed that “menace” that @mcctrish mentioned. I‘m curious whether I would‘ve thought the same if I‘d read in print! 2d

Hooked_on_books I felt the multiple POVs added richness to the story, as it was done so well. Like most of the others here, I really liked this approach. I think if it had been written in one POV or close 3rd that it wouldn‘t have been as good of a book. 2d

Gissy Love multiple POV because you can know better each character their motives, personality perspective of the situation. I enjoyed the audiobook. I loved this story even when it was so sad. 😢So slow, beautifully written👌 2d

BookwormAHN I loved the different voices and I agree it can be hard to pull off but it was done really well here. 2d

Chelsea.Poole @zuhkeeyah great observation of the various voices speaking for different aspects of the island. Like many others I can see how the multiple POVs were effective but each was so unrelenting in their trauma. Orly felt like a repreieve to me when his sections came up. Even if he was a bit precocious as @squirrelbrain points out. 2d

squirrelbrain Yes, I can see that now @TheKidUpstairs - precocious in a good way, with his knowledge, not in a brattish way. 😬 2d

squirrelbrain @Maggie4483 - that confused me at first - I had to go back to check if I was misremembering other POVs. I think it probably made their stories more distant, less immediate and therefore slightly more difficult to care about them. 2d

squirrelbrain @Ruthiella - at least we helped you figure that out! 🤨 2d

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures - yes, Fen had arguably one of the bigger storylines and yet she disappeared, for me. 2d

squirrelbrain Interesting that the audio made Dom rather aggressive @christine. Makes me want to try the audio just to see, but of course having read in one format we already have pre-conceived ideas if we try another. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain I hate to be negative nancy on this but I really disliked this book, and I think it is because it really feels like Mcconaghy hates women. We have three main women - 1 dies in childbirth, one is raped & attempted murdered by the others husband, and the third is beat up over and over again and finally dies trying to say the firsts child. And all the men though sad get off to go live their lives. 2d

willaful I did like Orly, but not his narrative so much (also not as interested as he is in biology.) I think Rowan and Dom's narratives were the most relatable for me. 2d

squirrelbrain @ChaoticMissAdventures - you don‘t think that‘s the author trying to portray the reality of life for women? 2d

squirrelbrain @willaful - yes, those parts drew me out of the story somewhat. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain I think it crossed reality and went to women suffer porn. There has to be a lesson for the men or the reader here and I just don't see it? I guess for our adults the lesson is that we are the ones dying for the children (whether we decide to have them or not). But I just don't think it was done well here. Or maybe it is just me b/c others seem fine with it...😀 2d

JamieArc @ChaoticMissAdventures while I did like the book, the amount of trauma did almost put me off. I‘m not quite sure why Raff‘s storyline (of Alex, if I‘m remembering the name right) was necessary. So many deaths. I do think that everyone suffered to some degree though, so I didn‘t see it as happening to only women. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @JamieArc I agree that everyone is suffering, no one gets away untraumatized. I just think it is unnecessary that of the 6 MCs (the family and Rowan) the women get directly harmed. Their harm is to their bodies vs men who are "injured" by others dying and it makes them sad. 2d

BkClubCare @fredthemoose - I was most invested in Rowan‘s POV, also. 2d

GatheringBooks @ChaoticMissAdventures ooh i never considered seeing it in this way - but now that you have pointed it out, i can see it. I have to confess that I enjoyed the narrative - and like the rest, I enjoyed the multiple POVs, and especially enjoyed orly‘s as well - i love precocity in young people, and while I am not all that versed in the sciency stuff, I felt that it was introduced in an accessible and engaging way that I found interesting 2d

GatheringBooks @Chelsea.Poole @Zuhkeeyah loved reading your takes on the multiple POVs. What was most interesting for me is how each had a distinct voice which requires skill on the part of the writer. It reminded me somewhat of Sabaa Tahir‘s Heir but Heir introduced another component - that of different timelines along with multiple voices. I was wondering if that would have worked in this case as well - considering the suspense and the buildup of the story 2d

Well-ReadNeck I‘m not always a fan of multi POVs, but I think it works/is necessary for this one. It also helped make this a bit more of a page-turner for me, wanting to get back to one POV or another. 2d

squirrelbrain I agree @GatheringBooks - I can see the ‘suffer‘ porn now that Shawna @ChaoticMissAdventures has highlighted it. That‘s why these discussions are so valuable, to help us see another perspective. 2d

Suet624 Coming in late here ..... I really enjoyed the multiple POV's. Kept me focused instead of drifting through the narrative. In thinking of which character I identified with I'd have to say it was Dom. Rowan a close second. They carried the weight of the novel for me. I loved reading the kids sections, but I identified more with the adults due to their ultimate responsibility of keeping everyone alive. 2d

rockpools I loved your point about the children‘s voices and the island @Zuhkeeyah . The multiple voices did work for me, although I was aware that we didn‘t seem to hear as much from Fen as I‘d have liked. I hadn‘t made the connection with her sections being in 3rd person - thanks @Maggie4483 . 1d

vonnie862 I listened to the audio and having two different narrators really helped with the characters. They brought the story to life. 1d

DGRachel I was annoyed at first, that I was going to have to keep track of everyone, but I ended up really loving the set up. I loved Orly‘s chapters and would have liked more chapters from Fen and Raff‘s viewpoints, although considering what happened to Fen, maybe fewer from her was better. 1d

DGRachel I read so little literary fiction (and usually only for Camp Litsy 🤣) because most of it feels trauma-centric, so I kind of expected this to be full of suffering and misery. I will say I did not expect what happened to Fen at all, and that‘s something very triggering for me, and I could have very happily not read that chapter. (edited) 1d

squirrelbrain It was really quite easy to keep track of everyone wasn‘t it? @DGRachel 22h

squirrelbrain I‘m really intrigued re the audio @vonnie862 - I bet it added another dimension to the story. 22h

Butterfinger I also listened to the audio @vonnie862 Dom's voice was so similar to Hugh Jackman, I already loved the character. But through the book, his deep love for his wife, for his children, for Rowan floored me. As a parent, I will do anything to protect them mentally and physically. I make mistakes, and I own up to those mistakes like I think Dom did, especially with the eldest son. 2h

Butterfinger Ooh @Zuhkeeyah I loved your rationale for the voices. 2h

45 likes81 comments

squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#camplitsy25

A few of us mentioned grief in last week‘s discussions. Everyone on the island was grieving for someone or something - how did you find these different portrayals?

What about the ‘ghosts‘ and ghostly voices? Were they part of the grieving process or something else?

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

Bookwormjillk I thought it was very realistic- no two people are going to grieve in the same way even when they are faced with the exact same circumstances. 3d

Zuhkeeyah The author did a great job weaving grief into the suspense. Each character carried or spoke to their own ghosts. There‘s no correct way to grieve and the author showed how different people cope with such a strong emotion. Orly broke my heart the most for being so young and yet so aware of the violence that was visited upon the animals of the island. 3d

JenReadsAlot I thought it was well done and realistic. 3d

See All 43 Comments

Kitta Agreed with @Bookwormjillk and @Zuhkeeyah there‘s no one way to grieve. I thought Orly added an interesting perspective in how he grieved the loss of his mother - by having others tell stories since he didn‘t know her. He was curious but had a sense of loss without knowing different. 3d

Kitta I thought the ghosts were the winds of the island but also sort of the loss of the animals and devastation that had happened there. A silent scream from the island or the earth. I think Orly had a bit of an overactive imagination but when it turned out he was talking to Hank in the vault speaking by the wall I wasn‘t surprised he was hearing voices in the winds. 3d

peaKnit It felt heavy, just like grief often does and it never goes away, no amount of time or life change, you‘re never the same. Like the characters here. 3d

Megabooks At times the grief was almost oppressive, and I think that was purposefully done. I think grief can be like getting stuck in quicksand, when you‘re stuck, the struggle to get out can pull you even deeper. I think all of them were trying to deal with their grief alone, and it left them stuck. 3d

CBee There are some who are more connected to spirits than others - I think in this case it truly was grief, because I don‘t know if it would be realistic that they all heard and felt the voices. Agreed that it was very realistic and powerful. Grief affects everyone differently and there was SO much sadness and loss in this book. 3d

BarbaraBB On the island, everyone is mourning something: a lost person, a broken belief, a shattered identity, or a stolen future. What makes the portrayals compelling is how individual they are — shaped by personality, history, and role in the community. Each portrayal adds realism to the island‘s atmosphere. The setting itself feels like it‘s soaked in loss — not just from individual tragedies, but from the disintegration of what the world used to be. (edited) 3d

Karisa @BarbaraBB Yes! Nicely said. All connected by their grief while going through it individually. 2d

AmyG Well, I LOVE a damaged character and they were all damaged in way. Grief and loss was everywhere in this story….from the characters to the earth and the loss due to climate change. There was loss of people, of homes, of beliefs. Beautifully weaved into the story. A huge part of life is loss and how we grieve thatloss and how we recover (or not) from that loss. Ha, like minds @BarbaraBB ….I was typing as you posted. (edited) 2d

squirrelbrain Beautifully put @BarbaraBB @AmyG ❤️ 2d

mcctrish So many kinds of grief like @BarbaraBB listed were covered, past and present and future, weighing them down, bringing up old griefs, foretelling the future ones. The characters isolating themselves with their grief from each other in the most isolated place 🤯 what a story 2d

squirrelbrain @Kitta - I wondered about Orly‘s grief - I guess you can grieve for someone you never knew and he certainly had a sense of loss, but more for the animals and plants, I think. 2d

AmyG @squirrelbrain Orly never knew his Mom so I think his grief was different. Ilost my Dad when I was 3, I didn‘t remember him. I grieved for something I never had. 2d

kspenmoll I agree with ever 2d

kspenmoll I agree with everyone- grief was interwoven throughout the novel. It exemplified how we all grieve differently & in our own individual ways. This was cataclysmic loss: land, people, animals, flora, seeds, the possibility of the family‘s deaths & struggles with imminent death. I love @BarbaraBB list: broken belief, shattered identity, stolen future. That nails it. Rowan certainly had her future stolen. 2d

Ruthiella I found the grief portrayed in the book overwhelming, which was an intentional choice by the author, I think. But it was too much for me in novel length. 2d

Lesliereadsalot There were so many losses on so many levels. So much bottled up grief and anger and sadness. It could be a little overwhelming, but I felt that the stories were beautifully told. Amen to @BarbaraBB and @AmyG Also the theme of isolation was so profound as @mcctrish pointed out. (edited) 2d

Deblovestoread Loved @BarbaraBB description. Each of us grieve differently because of who we are and also because our relationship to the lost person or circumstance is different as well. 2d

TheKidUpstairs @squirrelbrain I think Orly's grief for the natural world and his grief for his mother were tied up together. A larger grief for all the things he would never know/meet/see, how much loss has come before him. 2d

TheKidUpstairs @BarbaraBB so beautifully put, I agree totally. It was like the island - because of its history, isolation, and its role as seed storage - held the world's grief. And the people there couldn't help but be affected by it, along with their own traumas and griefs. 2d

Jas16 I totally agree with everyone that everyone grieves differently and that grief is woven deeply into this story. It made me think about how my siblings and I have handled our father‘s passing so differently from each other based not only on our own personalities but also our individual relationships with him during his last few years. 2d

Hooked_on_books I thought using grief as a motif worked well both for the story and because of its universality. Since it is so unique to each person, seeing it come through so differently for each character gives the reader a way in when they recognize themselves in one of the forms of grief. 2d

BookwormAHN The grief was overwhelming in certain parts but very real and the destruction of the island was the saddest. 2d

Gissy Wow! It was hard to read these parts because each one of them were still in the grief process. I think this isolation situation with limited support, make the process of healing a little difficult, creating a complicated grief healing. So well described. I think Rowan narrator in the audiobook was a beautiful voice and in my case I liked Dom, Orly and Raff narrators which made me more conscious of their feelings. 2d

Chelsea.Poole The grief in this book was so well done. And as @Megabooks says “oppressive” —to the point I didn‘t really look forward to my time reading it. It was a difficult read for me personally. It just took me to a dark place. Which is undoubtedly a skill that the author was able to bring about such feelings but still made this my least favorite of hers just because the reading experience was painful. 2d

squirrelbrain @mcctrish @Lesliereadsalot - I guess isolation can be a form of grief, or a way of reacting to grief - they‘re so intertwined with each other. 2d

mcctrish @squirrelbrain I think it lets grief fester 2d

willaful @mcctrish It was definitely festering here, though it's meaningful that Dom realizes that in the end. 2d

squirrelbrain @Hooked_on_books - well put, I like that idea of grief being universal but unique. 2d

squirrelbrain @Chelsea.Poole - I get how this was a difficult book to read - there wasn‘t any lightness or much hope in there, I felt. 2d

squirrelbrain I‘m beginning to wish I‘d listened to it on audio @Gissy - it sounds wonderful. 2d

mcctrish @willaful yes, thankfully he does 2d

GatheringBooks @Kitta i love the “silent scream from the island or the earth” and @BarbaraBB ‘s collective and personal tragedies intermingling that it “soaks” the earth bringing up ghosts in the wind that Orly speaks to. It is interesting that I felt the grief profoundly - but never in an oppressive way similar to how others experienced it. I felt there was always beauty slicing through despite dangers & devastation - that it still is all worth it in the end. 2d

Suet624 @BarbaraBB Such an accurate analysis. 2d

Suet624 The grief I felt most acutely, both from the book and personally, was the ravages caused by climate change. The loss of seeds, the loss of the island, they were/are what we/I are experiencing right now. And not to be too melodramatic, but if you listen closely I think you can hear the silent scream of many of us who fear the future we know is coming through climate change. 2d

rockpools @GatheringBooks I think my reading of it was closer to yours. Although grief permeated everything, I felt there was an element of hope - in the seals as they left, in the seeds Orly saved and in the resolution Fen experienced… 1d

BarbaraBB @AmyG Great minds 😉😘 1d

squirrelbrain I‘m glad you could both see the hope @rockpools @GatheringBooks ❤️ 1d

squirrelbrain Yes @Suet624 - this author is really valuable in the way she portrays the climate emergency. 💔 1d

DGRachel @BarbaraBB I love the way you perfectly summed it up. 1d

Butterfinger At the beginning, I thought it was going to be very depressing-everyone will die at the end because of how humans won't take care of Earth. It became so much more. Sacrifice for children (future) is the purest love. I know the question is about grief, but I think it is more survivor's guilt. Alex and Rowan lose their brothers, which causes extreme pain. The family loses a wife/parent which causes Dom to question his choice making. 1h

35 likes43 comments

squirrelbrain

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

#camplitsy25

** WARNING FOR SPOILERS**

There are no spoilers in the question above but please do not read the comments if you don‘t wish to see spoilers for the ending of this book. Everyone else, please go ahead and discuss, with as many spoilers as you wish included!

Thanks for being such great campers in June - come back tomorrow for our first vote of #camplitsy25.

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

Bookwormjillk Normally I would have found an ending like that emotionally manipulative, but given climate change is a focus of this book a happily ever after ending wouldn‘t have fit. Question though. Do you think she went to the island knowing her husband was a narcissist, or did she just realize it when she realized all that he had done? 3d

Zuhkeeyah I agree with @Bookwormjillk on it being a good finale. It was certainly dramatic, but this grief brought them all back together which is fitting since her husband‘s actions are what caused the divide. (edited) 3d

Zuhkeeyah @Bookwormjillk I think she made this discovery only once she hit the island. Rowan was too caught up in the grief of losing the house to fully mourn the loss of her marriage. She gained perspective on the island as she watched Dom miss his wife even after so many years. 3d

See All 65 Comments

Susanita @Bookwormjillk I agree about the emotional manipulation potential, but in this case it made sense that at least one of the five wasn‘t going to leave the island. I guess that‘s a spoiler! As for knowing he was a narcissist, I think not. She was dealing with a lot of past trauma herself, and one thing about narcissists is that they are good at gaslighting. 3d

jenniferw88 I think she knew deep down, but because they'd been apart for a while and with the loss of her house, she'd forgotten and was wearing rose-tinted glasses when she started looking for him on the island. And then when she learnt the whole truth she realised that she'd been right back on the mainland about Hank all along. 3d

JamieArc I didn‘t expect the ending to be so dramatic and normally may have rolled my eyes about it. I still do think it all may have been a bit much. I too didn‘t expect a happy ending, but would have liked one. I like the idea of some of the loss being healed by Dom and Rowan being together. And I like the idea of Rowan being a sort of anchor for the children as they have to figure out how to live in a different world after the island. 3d

Reggie I felt a little let down by the ending so much that it removed me from being in my feelings that the rest of the book had me. The book was soo sad and doom and gloom. By fire, by water, or starvation whatever she kept saying. I needed a pick me up. Which I thought was gonna be Rowan surviving. And then the ghost mom shows up and like in Poltergest 2 when the Angel grandma shows up in the ethereal purgatory to return Carol Ann to the family I 3d

Reggie thought for sure ghost mom was gonna return Rowan to the family who needed her. But. O. I guess she was there to welcome her to the afterlife. Comfort her in death? Say, not my family? lol idk I was kinda what was that all about? 3d

Reggie Also there was this meme post on Litsy where it said- he shows all kinds of red flags but I still go for it because my favorite color is red. lol I literally thought of Rowan. ‘You‘re just a baby vessel to me.‘ ‘Our house burned down and you‘re too sad, bye.‘ ‘Help me- she‘s on the first boat out. I just didn‘t understand that. And why couldn‘t they just tell her hey by the way we have this guy imprisoned until the boat gets here for (edited) 3d

Reggie statutory rape and attempted murder. After they felt out her character. 3d

Kitta @Bookwormjillk I think she knew beforehand Hank was a narcissist - she had talked about how their marriage was suffering and how when she got married she didn‘t want to be seen exactly, how she realized that he didn‘t know her and that she wouldn‘t change her mind about kids. I think she went because she still felt something for him and she was worried but I think she knew. 3d

Megabooks @Reggie I was kind of wondering that myself. Why they didn‘t just tell her, your husband is a bad dude? I guess maybe that since she‘d come all that way she‘d do anything to free him and that felt dangerous. Idk. The ending was a bit weird for me! 3d

CBee I think she knew but was too immersed in all of her other feelings (so much loss) to admit it. The ending - sigh. It was fitting despite of course not wanting it to go that way. It came full circle though - Claire dies giving birth to Orly, saving his life. Then Rowan dies to save his life as well, years later. I knew it was coming but I was still “NO NO NO” in my head 💔😢 (edited) 3d

Reggie Also this has nothing to do with this question but my favorite passage in this whole book was about Dom saying being a mother was Claire‘s role but when she died it was just him and this baby but then there were these 2 9yos who also had just lost someone and there they went raising and helping this baby and how he realized it wasn‘t him versus this baby but that they were all a family in it together. 😭😭😭 3d

BarbaraBB I agree with @Reggie in wondering why they didn‘t just tell her. 3d

BarbaraBB To me the ending certainly makes sense this way. The book is steeped in themes of environmental collapse, loss, and the fragility of human connection. A tidy or “happy” ending would undercut the realism and the urgency that pervades the narrative. 2d

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk I think Rowan probably went with hope and loyalty, and only fully grasped his narcissism—and its consequences—once she was there, facing the reality head-on. 2d

sarahbarnes Honestly I think I‘m with @JamieArc on this one - it was a little too much for me. It felt so unnecessary. Was it to justify Dom‘s decision to have kept Hank locked up - to show indeed how terrible he was? I was disappointed in the ending and I‘m not a happy ending kind of reader. 2d

Karisa @Bookwormjillk I was wondering if Rowan had realized her husband was so flawed before too. The images she shows of him shaping the landscape in their earlier life seemed so magical but also narcissistic to manipulate the place‘s habitat to that extent. @jenniferw88 “Rose colored glasses” for sure! I think that was why the Salt family knew they couldn‘t trust Rowan with their secrets yet. She was still deceiving herself. 2d

AmyG I, oo, thought that on a subconscious level Rowan knew he was a narcissist but hearing about him and the incident made her face his narcissism head on. I was “all in” with this book so I loved the end. I got the feeling Rowan came into the life of this family to serve a purpose. She did and sadly died. But the reader “knows” now that the family will carry on, somewhat healed. @CBee Yes….it came full circle. 2d

AmyG @Reggie Ha, loved your thoughts! As in any story….works for some, not for others. (edited) 2d

Karisa I thought the ending was right on the target even while being dramatic. The themes in the book are so big that an operatic conclusion felt necessary to me. Rowan and Hank had caused so much grief (intentionally or not) that it felt correct and balancing somehow. As @BarbaraBB pointed out happy just wouldn‘t have suited this book. 2d

squirrelbrain @Bookwormjillk @Zuhkeeyah @Kitta @cbee @karisa @amyg - I think she knew something was seriously wrong in their relationship but couldn‘t figure out quite what, otherwise why would she have chased after him to the island? 2d

CBee @AmyG I was all in as well. As with all of her other books. 2d

squirrelbrain @jamiearc @sarahbarnes - I agree, the ending was very over-dramatic. I also agree with @barbarabb that it needed to not have a ‘happy‘ ending, and it couldn‘t have been one of the family who died, but it was the manner of it that seemed a bit excessive. 2d

squirrelbrain Yes, I agree @Reggie - why couldn‘t they just tell Rowan what her husband had done? They wouldn‘t have been arrested themselves for locking him up. 🤷‍♀️ 2d

CBee @squirrelbrain makes you wonder more about Hank and his backstory. 2d

mcctrish @Reggie I laughed out loud reading some of your posts ❤️ I feel like the window for telling Rowan about her husband was minuscule- this women chartered a boat to find her husband on a island in the middle of nowhere about to be decommissioned. Said husband is a bad man. First she has to heal. Then they have to get to know her. Then the deadline is fast approaching to clear off. Not a lot of wiggle room. 2d

CBee @squirrelbrain I think they were trying (in a very extreme way) to protect Fen. They didn‘t want Rowan to let him out. I do think Dom should‘ve told her sooner, though. 2d

mcctrish And didn‘t Hank make good choices when they did decide not to let him drown?! I WAS SCREAMING #rotinhellmotherfucker 2d

mcctrish But I did want a HEA 2d

Kitta @squirrelbrain as someone who was raised by a narcissist, you can still care for them and you sorta lose all sense of self preservation due to the gaslighting. They‘re very charismatic and convincing! I think she felt she had to help him, even if she knew. I certainly felt it was my job to « rescue » my family from messes all the time. She was distracted by the loss of her house I think and finding him gave her purpose again. Even if he‘s not good 2d

Reggie @mcctrish yes! I was like why we have to lock Orly in there like that? lol and I love horror and am used to all kinds of horrible and terrible things happening to character endings but I really wanted the HEA here, too. 2d

Ruthiella I thought it was ridiculous. The plotting is mostly what drove me nuts about this book. No one behaved in a way that made any sense to me. The withholding of information was a means to draw out the tension, and that annoyed me. 2d

Lesliereadsalot I thought the ending was perfect, not tying up all these damaged people in a neat little bow. They couldn‘t tell Rowan that Hank was there, they didn‘t know how she‘d react. We don‘t know how she‘d react. And I think they were all too damaged to live happily ever after. They needed to recover slowly, off the island, find out who they were in another environment. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Reggie I totally agree. Why didn't they just tell her? It is a emotional manipulation -miscommunication trope. 2d

TheKidUpstairs @Bookwormjillk It seemed to me that she knew, and honestly it's the one thing about this book that I have trouble reconciling. I don't quite understand why she'd risk so much to get to him when it really seems that she knew who he really was. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @Kitta I agree I think any rational woman would know, with the way he talked to her about her home, and how he talked to her about kids. She is still married to the guy and he disappeared, I think personally it was stupid of her to go to the island in the first place, but she was worried for her husband who was erratic before disappearing. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @sarahbarnes I am disappointed in the ending too. What are we supposed to learn from it? Dom is the one who locked Hank up, the whole family lied and manipulated her. She is there trying to find a husband who sent scary emails then disappeared, what is the message we are supposed to get from her death. Having both of the adult women figures in these childrens lives die? Why? 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @BarbaraBB I get that someone should have died in the end. With the themes as you say, but why Rowan? What is the message we are suppose to get from it being her? I personally, after 3 Mcconaghy books think this author hates women.... I wish I was joking, and I really think she hates women who do not have children. Every book of hers she either forces the woman to change her mind, treats them like idiots, or makes them regret their decisions. 2d

Deblovestoread Some books there is a voice in my head analyzing an author‘s choices and others I‘m just all in. Not sure the reason but in all of her books I‘m 100% in. I trust that whatever the story goes it‘s right. I was sad about the ending but also wondered if they all got off the island would the relationship last. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 2d

Christine I think I‘m mostly with @BarbaraBB and @Karisa on the ending - fittingly dramatic. And yay, I‘ve been waiting to learn the details about your hate this week, @Ruthiella !! 😁 I enjoyed the book but I agree that a lot of the decision-making was not sensible. 2d

Christine @squirrelbrain Thanks for leading such great conversations this month! 2d

BookwormAHN I think the ending was a little too dramatic, mostly I hated that Rowan died. I would have rather have seen them all get a fresh start. But I did love the book. 2d

Hooked_on_books I think the most important thing about an ending is that it fits the book and honors what has been told in the story to that point, and this one does. So it really worked for me. It also gave Rowan a complete character arc and the others a path forward. I thought it was really well done. 2d

Gissy It was a heartbreaking ending💔 Of course I didn‘t want Rowan to die, I wanted a second opportunity for each character, but I respect author‘s choice. Her stories are dramatic😭I think Raff and Fen would emerge stronger from this experience and they will help Orly and specially Dom to start their healing process. So sad 😭 Love this book4.5/4.8 ⭐️ 2d

willaful @ChaoticMissAdventures I'm intrigued by you opinions because that part of the storyline about Orly's birth sat uncomfortably with me. And if it really is a pattern in her books, even though I loved this I don't think I'll want to read her again. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures @willaful I mostly have been looking at her from a child free lens. This is my 3rd (&last) book of hers I have read Wolves- MC doesn't want children, gets pregnant, ignores it, then decides there is nothing in life she wants more than a baby has the stupidest birth, (I think her sister dies?) Migration & This 1 childless women run all over the globe suffering searching for their connection to men. All of her women go through it. None are spared.👇 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures 2/2 the women who do live have to change their minds about having children (wolf girl) and even then she might kill them off for the plot! Is it possible that here the moms death doesn't sit right with you b/c no doctor in the world would ask a husband to choose?? People talking about she is writing women suffering b/c it is reality when there are insane plot devices like asking husband to choose mom or baby in an actual hospital. 2d

Chelsea.Poole I think another mother figure passing away from this family was connected to the idea of the environmental crisis//Mother Earth, a symbol of one generation giving way for the next to inhabit the earth. Motherhood is often about sacrifice for children and their mother made the ultimate sacrifice at the beginning of Orly‘s life and now Rowan does too. It was awful and sad…fit with the rest of the book. @Reggie commentary is golden✨ 2d

JamieArc @squirrelbrain I‘m impressed that such a robust conversation can happen through short comments. So many people engaging with it! Thanks for hosting a great month of conversation! 2d

TEArificbooks I was upset Rowan died. I thought maybe she would drown but the ghost and Dom doing CPR would save her, maybe leave it unclear at first if she survived but in the epilogue make it clear she did. I definitely figured Hank would die. And would never read another book by her though if she killed off Orly. Would have been way more upset about his death. 2d

GatheringBooks @Reggie i miss youuuu! Love what you said about the ghost of the mother and “not my family” bit - or maybe they bonded? Lols. I have to admit that I am of the camp who loved this book. I did cry when I read through the last part - as I was hoping for something more uplifting. But @BarbaraBB is right- it wouldn‘t have blended well with the overall vibe of loss and devastation that McConaghy was going for. I felt it was heartbreaking - yet hopeful. 2d

Reggie @Chelsea.Poole lol, thanks! I like your take on mothers and the connection to Mother Earth. I get so bummed out when I go see zombie movies and the end is like, no, there are no humans left. And in here she was laying it on thick. Like sooner, much sooner than we think, climate change is coming for us. But until then can we just have a happy ending? 2d

Reggie @GatheringBooks hi Myra!!!! I was crying while reading this book up until the ghost mother showed up. Why was she there?!!!! lol What was the point? I felt like we were about to have a real ghost Susan Sarandon to the new stepmom Julia Roberts-treat them like your own moment. Whatevs, whatever Charlotte McConaghy- I‘d still read another by her. I‘m excited for the next camp books! 2d

squirrelbrain @JamieArc @christine - it‘s the Littens who make camp so wonderful - with wide-ranging discussions and such insightful commentary. ❤️ 2d

BarbaraBB @ChaoticMissAdventures Oh wow is that true? I hadn‘t realized that and it seems hard to believe but it‘s an issue in each book, that might be a motive indeed 1d

ChaoticMissAdventures @BarbaraBB I am sensitive about the topic, being passionately child free I hated wolves & how she showed the MC pregnancy and change of mind so it was top of my mind here. Here I really hated how she acted like it is shocking that Rowan could care about others children. When she had made her decision due to the environment. She never said she hated children. Being willing to be a stepmom is a whole other thing than being willing to have children. 1d

vonnie862 I was not expecting the ending 1d

BarbaraBB I loved Rowan‘s attitude towards the children. I didn‘t feel like the author was judgmental about that but I get that you‘ve paid much more attention to it so you‘re probably right! @ChaoticMissAdventures (edited) 1d

DGRachel Going to comment again before reading others just because I was absolutely devastated by the ending. I‘m glad the Salts survive, and that they seem to be pulling closer with honest communication, but I‘m devastated they have to move on without Rowan. One more person for the family to grieve and it marked the death of the hope I had for their off-page future. 1d

squirrelbrain Yes, it was a truly shocking ending, wasn‘t it?! @vonnie862 @DGRachel 22h

Butterfinger I was completely shocked. Hank. Oh my goodness gracious. Was not expecting him. AND, I WILL REMAIN ANGRY FOR HOW HE TOLD ROWAN HE WAS GOING TO THE BASE. YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME, YOU JERK!!!!I'm just glad that the children survived. Broken, but together. 1h

Butterfinger @ChaoticMissAdventures you make a very valid point about women choosing to be child free. I find myself thinking all the time-she's been married for awhile, is she having trouble getting pregnant? I realized while reading WDS, I was being judgmental. It's 2026 and every woman doesn't want to be a mom. I guess it was ingrained in me as a child-you can work and you get to still be a mom. So, I am grateful that this book opened my eyes in this regard 1h

Butterfinger @Chelsea.Poole wonderful parallel between the characters and Mother Earth. 1h

32 likes65 comments

CBee

Wild Dark Shore | Charlotte McConaghy

pick

This was beautiful. #nospoilers #camplitsy25 #readyourkindle @squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

AmyG Yep 3d

CBee @AmyG 📕 👯 ❤️ 3d

squirrelbrain ❤️❤️❤️ 3d

60 likes3 comments

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