Wild Dark Shore

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide, child death, animal death, and cursing.

“Inside the sea is still fighting for her, it retains its hold. I think, deep in the darkest hours, that even if she survives this night that ocean will have her back one day.”

This line from Dominic at the beginning of the novel is an example of foreshadowing. Dominic has a premonition that Rowan will die by drowning, which is indeed how her life ends. The language is lyrical and personifies the ocean, which “retains its hold” on Rowan like an entity with desire and drive, establishing that conflict with nature will be a driving force in the novel.

“But she isn’t frightened of the dead. It is only the living who have the power to harm.”

In this quote, Fen expresses a sentiment whose meaning is only revealed at the end of the novel. This ambiguity builds suspense, inviting the reader to wonder what it is about the living that creates fear in Fen. Later, it is revealed that she is traumatized by Hank’s assault on her. This line also reflects Fen’s fear of what humans more generally have caused—that is, anthropogenic climate change.

“This coastline looks nothing like it did when we arrived here eight years ago. We are all acutely aware of this fact, but we don’t much talk about what rapidly rising sea levels mean: they mean losing the rocks and the beaches, losing the research base and all its buildings, losing the boathouse and its Zodiacs, losing a way to safely board a ship out of here. What rising sea levels mean is the loss of our home.”

Dominic here reflects on the human costs of climate change and the way humans respond to these. The Salt family chooses not to talk directly about the existential threat of the rising water levels and the impact it will have on their lives, revealing one of the factors that complicates Ethical Action in the Face of Climate Change. The quote also reflects how the family is about to experience what Rowan already has: the loss of their home due to climate change-related natural disasters.