The Light between Oceans (M L Stedman, Vintage)

The Light between Oceans is the debut novel from Australian author M L Stedmen (now living in the UK), which sparked a fierce bidding war and has already sold into multiple territories. Tom Sherbourne has survived Word War I, but now faces a terrifying situation of a completely different nature. He and his wife live on an otherwise uninhabited island off the coast of Western Australia, where Tom keeps the lighthouse. Here, he experiences peace from the bloody memories of the Great War that sometimes haunt him, but his wife Isabel miscarries three children, far from medical aid. When a boat carrying a dead man and a baby washes ashore, Isabel is smitten with the little girl, and Tom cannot deny her the baby. But what will it cost them both? This story is fascinating and so beautifully told—I couldn’t put it down. It perfectly evoked Australia, particularly in the descriptions of a lonely island and a small country town. The rhythm of the lighthouse and the family’s days on the island seem at once completely normal and unusually beautiful. The shifts in perspective and the growing cast of characters require the reader pays attention, but it is impossible not to. This is a romantic and a tragic book which grapples with themes such as vengeance and forgiveness, and will have crossover appeal for literary and general fiction readers.

Jessica Broadbent is a qualified librarian who has worked in publishing and bookselling

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Category: Reviews