The Light Between Oceans: 09/13/16

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is set on a lonely island off the coast of Western Australia. A lighthouse keeper and his wife want nothing more than to start a family but they are cursed with miscarriages and a stillbirth.

And then a storm brings a ship aground and there's only one survivor, a baby not much older than their stillborn son. They decide to keep her and raise her and their own. What unfolds after are the consequences of that decision.

Beautiful language. Painfully melodramatic scenes. But obvious plot is obvious. Of course there's going to be consequences. Of course they're going to want to show off their little girl. Of course someone's going to recognize her.

There are no surprises here, just tear jerking writing. It's well crafted but it's not a unique story. It's not even a deconstruction of a story.

Three stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Friday, September 16, 2016 at 14:03:28

Okie

This one is sitting in a stack on my nightstand waiting for me to work my way down the stack to it. I've heard a variety of reviews about it, some very praiseworthy but others middling. Still, I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks for the review.

Comment #2: Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 20:32:40

Pussreboots

I'm curious to hear what you think of it once you've read it. It has some beautiful turns of phrase. I think the book will lend itself beautifully to the big screen. Part of my problem stems from having read so many lighthouse themed books. I have a huge collection of old Joseph C. Lincoln books set in fictional villages along Cape Cod, all written in the early 20th century. So a lot of the themes explored in The Light Between Oceans I've already read many times over.