witchbuns

Charlotte McConaghy, 2025

4.25 Stars for haunted, mesmerizing nature fiction.

Before writing this review, I drove in the snow to the library to get one of her earlier books, because I’m just that intrigued by Charlotte McConaghy’s voice and narrative style. This one is a stealthy thriller that gives you just enough information about Rowan, a woman who washes up on the shores of an isolated research base off the coast of Antartica, and the family lead by Dominic who rescue her while fearing her intrusion.

This book is almost a climate change thriller, because nature and its responses are always threatening the safety of the family on this desolate and wild habitat, and McConaghy is clear to the reader that it’s the actions of humans that are making nature fight back. I don’t know how modern the timeline is because the setting is so remote (they mention cell phones) but it felt futuristic, set maybe 50 years ahead because the pervasive threats of wildfires and storms were accelerated. Or maybe the setting is yesterday and hope is that bleak for our tomorrow. 

The story unfolds a family that is both a supportive unit but also a fractured and deeply traumatized collection of four. The reveals and answers (these aren’t really answers though, are they) come in waves, perfectly timed in the storyline. This is a beautifully written novel that provides POV chapters for each family member and it’s wonderful to nestle inside their heads and read how the setting has shaped them. They each want to stay on the island but they acknowledge that it will kill them, and there is so much sorrow for what they need to leave. The Orly chapters from the youngest family member are very lush, focusing on seeds and nature and evolution and destruction. I love that kid with my whole heart. 

I highly recommend this for readers who want to spend a few hours on a wild island to uncover secrets from each family member, and to debate whether or note Rowan is truly lost. I can’t call this five stars because of some elements that move quickly in the final acts, but god it was close. 

Onto the next one. Bravo to Charlotte McConaghy. I can see the love you knit into each page from your research on the island this is based upon, and I want to continue to hear stories in your voice.