Book Review: THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS by M. L, Stedman was highly recommended to me as a book that had everything that I loved to find in my reading. They were right.

In December of 1918, Tom Sherbourne takes the job as light keeper on Janus Island, a small island off the coast of western Australia. It is the perfect job for Tom. Fresh back from the trenches in Europe, he wants, and needs, time alone. The lighthouse keeper spends six months alone; his only contact is a a supply boat that visits four times a year.

According to his contract, Tom will get a month's leave after each three-year stay. On one of his visits to Point Partageuse on the mainland he meets Isabel and they quickly marry. Despite their isolated life, Tom and Isabel are happy. Tragedy enters when a boat containing a dead man and a crying infant washes up on their shore. Isabel has had three miscarriages and knows that God has sent her this baby.

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is a character driven story. While we share in Isabel's joy, we watch Tom's guilt build. He knows that somewhere somebody is mourning the loss of a husband and child. Back in Port Partageuse, we meet a young woman slowly going out of her mind  over not knowing what became of her family.

This is a beautiful book. The terrors of war and how those horrors never leave anyone who has fought is a big part of the story. The unease of a community around a man who is seen as the "enemy" also adds to the plot. The part that tore me up was the simple decision between right and wrong. Tom's honor tears him between what he knows is right and his love for his wife and the child that has been theirs for four years.

The characters in this book are so well drawn that I felt so much sympathy for the main characters that I did not know how I wanted the story to be resolved. It becomes a question of which is right, the law or love, especially when it comes to the welfare of a young child.

M. L. Stedman is also an author who knows how to use the English language. Ms Stedman was born in Australia, but has spent most of her life in London, but she has not lost her feel for the ocean or the small towns along the coast. I loved her descriptions of the sound of the waves and the beauty of living on a peaceful island. The contrast that Tom feels between the horrors of war and the serenity of Janus Island is beautiful.

So far, it seems that THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is Stedman's only book. It is the best novel that I have read for awhile and I will be watching for more.

Thanks ladies. THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS lived up to your recommendation.