56 pages • 1-hour read
Wild Dark Shore
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, animal death
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. How did Wild Dark Shore make you feel? How did you react to the ending?
2. Have you read any other books by Charlotte McConaghy or in the climate fiction genre (e.g., Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, or Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Water Knife)? How did this book compare to those other works?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Dominic, Rowan, Fen, Orly, and Hank all represent different reactions to climate change. Did you relate to any of their views? How does climate change impact the actions you take?
2. Dominic struggles with grief for years following the death of his wife. Do you think the way he responded to the situation is understandable and/or realistic?
3. The Salt family chooses to live a very solitary, self-sufficient lifestyle. Does the way they live appeal to you? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?
4. The environment of Shearwater Island is essential to the work and was inspired by the real Macquarie Island. Are there any places of natural beauty you have been to or lived in that you found similarly inspiring?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. What message about climate change is Wild Dark Shore expressing? What actions does it implicitly encourage readers to pursue?
2. How do the animals killed on Shearwater Island during the colonial era “haunt” the novel? How does this dynamic relate to the repercussions of colonialism and anthropogenic (human-made) climate change in the real world?
3. What policies, lessons, or practices should be put in place to prevent people like Hank from taking advantage of young people like Fen?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. Discuss the symbolism of seeds in Wild Dark Shore and how it relates to the overall message of the book.
2. What lessons does Dominic learn about grief, love, and caring for his children over the course of the novel? Is his growth realistic?
3. Discuss the children Raff, Fen, and Orly. What is their dynamic like? Is it relatable?
4. How does the natural setting, including the weather, reflect the human dynamics at various points in the narrative? For example, how does the storm reflect the unsettled feelings of the characters?
5. The novel has many supernatural elements. Do you think these are a reflection of the characters’ psychological states, or should they be understood as real within the world of the novel? What evidence from the book leads you to that conclusion?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Imagine a sequel or continuation of the story—where do you think the characters would go next? What kind of careers do you think Raff, Fen, and Orly would end up pursuing?
2. Write a poem from the point of view of Fen expressing her feelings about the seals. Alternatively, write a poem expressing your feelings about a wild species to which you feel particularly connected.
3. You are given the opportunity to move to a remote location like Svalbard, Easter Island, or Kamchatka for work. Where would you go? Would your motivations for living there be similar to those of any of the novel’s characters?
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