Book of The Month discussion

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.

Stopped at RAFF pg 15 / 25%

Trisha, after getting through 1/4 of the book, I understand why you had a hard time continuing it. It was definitely difficult reading some parts of it for sure. I like that every character has their own POV so we get a better insight into each one.

Orly ~ (view spoiler)[ It is hard for me to see him as a nine year old boy. When he talks with Rowan and asks her questions about rebuilding for example, he just doesn’t sound like a nine-year-old boy who would ask those kind of questions. But maybe his life where they are his made him grow up faster. I guess we will see. (hide spoiler)]

Raff ~ (view spoiler)[seems to have distrust between him and Dominic. I feel like he’s hiding something about the past. We shall see. (hide spoiler)]

Fen ~ (view spoiler)[I really like her so far. She is definitely very observant and calm under pressure. She seemed adept taking care of Rowan so I think her mother had taught her a lot before she died. (view spoiler)[

Dominic ~ (view spoiler)[He’s very mysterious to me. I’m trying to figure out his conversations with his wife. She’s supposedly dead so who’s he talking to? Is he dreaming, hallucinating, or is he just grieving and coping with his loss through imagined conversations with her? And then there have been times I’ve wondered if there is a spiritual element to it so I’m thoroughly confused about his relationship with his wife. (hide spoiler)]

Rowan ~ (view spoiler)[I don't know what's up with her but I don't understand some of the conversations she's had with a 9 year old boy. I don't know why she'd take them to that boat and let them end up seeing what all they saw. What is her real reason for being there? She's definitely holding back and not telling them everything. She's totally mysterious. I want to know more about her. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Stopped at Rowan pg. 152 / 50%

(view spoiler)[There is so much mystery surrounding everyone and it's starting to build up. It's pretty obvious that there's been some kind of violence on the island and it seems like someone did something to Hank and maybe even Alex. I don't know what but that's what the plot has led me to believe so far. There's just such a mysterious undertone surrounding his and Alex's death, The Salt family is definitely hiding something!

Dom talking to his dead wife...kinda sad. Makes me wonder if he feels guilty about something regarding her too. I can see why he and Rowan are feeling something toward each other. They've both lost their spouses, they're lonely and they're both carrying guilt. Hmm...but they still can't trust each other.

The isolation, distrust amongst everyone, violence like the ship wreck, deaths. and the seed vault project kind of give me a dystopian feel. I'm definitely liking it more than I thought I was going to when I began it. (hide spoiler)]

Stopped at Rowan pg. 225 / 75%

(view spoiler)[Wow! Poor Rowan feeling so guilty over her brother's death. So Alex died from an avalanche. I'm glad he was killed by one of them. I don't quite understand why he didn't just tell her he buried him but I think he partly wanted to protect her too.

I'm STILL wondering about Hank. All that blood she found would indicate someone, guessing Hank, was likely murdered.

And Dom and Rowan finally had sex. I knew it was heading there. lol I think Fen is pretty wise realizing her dad needs to let go. He's so loyal but definitely emotionally detached from his kids especially even though he loves them. (hide spoiler)]

Finished

(view spoiler)[Wow! The ending was so unbelievable! Fen and Hank? Hank was alive? The entire Salt family knew and was in on imprisoning him!!! Jeez, I hate to say but that was evil, even if he did have sex with Fen and try to drown her.

I was SO sad reading the scene where Rowan and Orly were near drowning and then her subsequent death was SO heartbreaking! McConaghy sure knows how to write a good visual that personified Shearwater Island! And the way she kept everyone a mystery that just kept building and I would think I had it but then I didn't. Amazing! I did not think I was going to love it but I did. (hide spoiler)]

Stopped at RAFF pg. 75 / 25%

(view spoiler)[ awe, I love this intro
these kids are really sweet and I love how they are rounding around her.
how scary, her arrival to the island

Rowan feels like she's not telling us everything - there are still some secrets here.

and I don't blame Dominic for being wary and unsure.

this idea, of these seeds. so surprising and I love it! (hide spoiler)]

Stopped at Rowan pg. 152 / 52%

wow, this book feels like danger is just hanging over you!
(view spoiler)[ it definitely feels like there is a lot that has happened on this island that Dominic is trying to hide

the phone is shocking! and the passport? holy moly. so her husband never made it off the island. so I wonder what happened

this also feels like the world is ending - like the climate is just gone and there's a haunting feeling of brutal survival that is just around the corner.

I'm sad Dominic misses his wife so much - how he had to become a better dad and the kids had to rise up and raise themselves too - but wow, he feels really dangerous too (hide spoiler)]

Stopped at Rowan pg. 225 / 75%

I love (view spoiler)[ that this island seems to have a presence all of its own. The wife, Hank - all the spirits seem like they are still there.

and Wow, the water rising and the kids being swept away - that was heartbreaking. And Alex as an additional loss - truly heartbreaking. I don't blame him for keeping it from her - I don't know if she would have believed him until she'd been on the island and really got a sense for the family.

and wow, Hank. That must be tough, for them to have such a different memory of who he was than what she knows. But that's assuming we can trust Dom, because it's only his word that we have.

and now the seeds. hopefully some can be saved! (hide spoiler)]

and done

(view spoiler)[
Wow, this one was so good.
I was shocked that he was still alive. He was such a danger - not only did he try to drown Fen but then he tried to kill Orly, just so he could get away. so gross. I know he was mentally unwell but they didn't have the manpower to fight against someone who was going to kill them like that!

and yes, I was so so glad she saved Orly - I don't think Rowan could haven't lived with herself if she hadn't saved him - but I was so so sad when she died. And shocked! I never thought she wouldn't make it!

I loved the rising water and the feeling of doom I felt building. I listened to this one one audio and man, that sense of everything going wrong was so well placed in the plot that it was fast paced and felt like a very dangerous read. I loved it, so well done! this author truly is just amazing at giving us characters to love and alarming climate change (hide spoiler)]