If you are the type of reader who can withstand tragedy and pain as long as it’s presented in beautiful prose and has characters whose pain you will feel acutely, then this is the book for you. Because man, does it ever serve up the tragedy with both hands.
The story begins with Tom, who is returning home to Australia after fighting on the Western Front. His experiences in the war left him in a dark place, and he can’t fathom any future for himself other than one of seclusion and isolation. He finds the perfect posting as a lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock – pretty much as secluded and isolated as it gets. He takes his job seriously and is instantly at home in his new role. But he’s no longer alone as he expected – he has met and married a young woman from the nearest town called Isabel.
Isabel brings some light into his world, manages to handle the seclusion of Janus Rock admirably, and fits into Tom’s world as best she can. But for Isabel, life isn’t complete when it’s just the two of them. She wants a family, and sets about preparing for giving birth to one. Fate, however, has other plans. After losing multiple pregnancies she is edging into despair when one day she hears a baby’s cries. She sets out to find the source of the crying, and from that point on the choices made by her and Tom will change both of their lives forever.
I could see why this book got a lot of buzz and attention – it’s particularly good for discussions (and book clubs), because it exists in continuous moral quandaries. Nothing in this book is simple or easy to judge in one way or another. Every situation is complicated by feelings and trauma and love, and even the horrible decisions are made in such a deeply desperate situation that while they aren’t excusable, they can be understood. This makes it a fascinating but also exhausting reading experience, as the reader is drawn along on this rocky moral terrain. I spent a lot of very draining time considering what I would have done in these circumstances, and mostly landing on a firm I have no idea.
I can’t say I liked this book, because it’s just not that kind of book. I appreciated how it was structured and presented, and I did feel for the characters, but I also found that at a certain point I disconnected from the story emotionally and just read to find out the ending. I’m not sure if this was just a me thing – perhaps some of it hit too close to home – or if it was truly a case of emotional reader fatigue. But either way, that was my experience with this book. The ending in particular had me just going “BUT WHY????” for quite a while after I finished the book. I’m glad I finally got to it, but at the same time it didn’t leave me wanting to read more books by this author, or even wanting to revisit this cast and story by watching the film.
I think the best part of this book for me was the audio performance, because it was read by Noah Taylor, an actor whose voice I really love. So if you’re going to read it and are a fan of audiobooks, I’d definitely recommend the audio. I’d also highly recommend that you check out trigger warnings if you have sensitivities, particularly to anything involving babies, miscarriage, stillbirth or orphans. There are others, but I don’t want to spoil anything, so if you feel like this is even close to an area that’s tough for you, perhaps do a little more research before picking it up!
Australia, 1926. After four harrowing years fighting on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns home to take a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written debut novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss. – Goodreads
Book Title: The Light Between Oceans
Author: M.L. Steadman
Series: No
Edition: Audiobook/Paperback
Published By: Scribner
Released: March 20, 2012
Genre: Fiction, Loss, Love, Family, Historical Fiction
Pages: 362
Date Read: August 25-29, 2022
Rating: 6/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.04/5 (439,090 ratings)