The debut of a stunning new voice in fiction— a novel both heartbreaking and transcendent
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes 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 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.
The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
This is the UK trailer for the book--only the covers are different.
Lisa says:
"In this debut novel, author M.L. Stedman, who was born in Western Australia but now lives in London, asks her readers to immerse themselves in a story about heart-wrenching love, loyalty and morality. Tom, a lighthouse keeper just after WWI is seeking solace to quiet the nightmares of the Somme. He meets Isabel, who is playful and bright and they fall in love, marry and move to the lonely island to man the lighthouse off of the coast of Australia. One day a dingy washes ashore with a dead man and a crying baby girl in it. Isabel, who has had three miscarriages desperately wants to keep the baby. Tom wants to do the right thing and report it. The decision they make not only throws their world into turmoil, it changes the lives of many. What is right and wrong? How about something that is done in the name of right but really ends up being self-serving? What about the consequences? This is a story that will stick with you. A lighthouse, lonely, solitary, yet important and life-saving for some, is the perfect setting for this book."
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes 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 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.
The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
This is the UK trailer for the book--only the covers are different.
"In this debut novel, author M.L. Stedman, who was born in Western Australia but now lives in London, asks her readers to immerse themselves in a story about heart-wrenching love, loyalty and morality. Tom, a lighthouse keeper just after WWI is seeking solace to quiet the nightmares of the Somme. He meets Isabel, who is playful and bright and they fall in love, marry and move to the lonely island to man the lighthouse off of the coast of Australia. One day a dingy washes ashore with a dead man and a crying baby girl in it. Isabel, who has had three miscarriages desperately wants to keep the baby. Tom wants to do the right thing and report it. The decision they make not only throws their world into turmoil, it changes the lives of many. What is right and wrong? How about something that is done in the name of right but really ends up being self-serving? What about the consequences? This is a story that will stick with you. A lighthouse, lonely, solitary, yet important and life-saving for some, is the perfect setting for this book."
No comments:
Post a Comment