The Light Between Oceans (2012)

the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who make one devastating choice that forever changes two worlds.

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. ( )

I didn't really care for this novel. I thought that Tom was not a realistic character, despite being very likeable, and that the other characters (besides the child) were generally unlikable. That made me, in a sense, detach myself from the book. Also, not all of the writing was great. Nevertheless, a good effort. ( )

I started it but it never clicked with me. I stopped reading it early on. ( )

Until I got to Part 3, I had already decided that I was going to give this book only 3 stars.

Here's why:

I had to force myself through the first few chapters. Maybe it was just the author's style, but I didn't think the short and choppy sentences really worked. It felt unnecessary. I just finished Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, where every word and sentence just flowed. Reading TLBO felt like driving along a bumpy road. I also didn't like the "vignette" style this book was written in. I rarely say this, but this book just wasn't long enough. The snapshots just weren't enough to immerse you into the world or character's heads.

I wish the description on the back hadn't essentially given away the plot of Parts 1 and 2. For almost half of the book, I was waiting to get to the real action of the story beyond what I already knew.

I also didn't like how most of the book was Tom's perspective. I really, really wanted to understand Isabel. I wanted to get inside her skin and understand what it felt like to be on the edge of grief and sanity.

For me, THBO's biggest flaw was a lack of character development. I never quite got into Tom or Isabel's heads. And I really wanted to. I wanted to experience every emotion and heartbreak. I wanted to not hate Isabel and be frustrated with Tom. I wanted to feel for them. At the end, I sort of did. But I wanted more.

And yet. And yet.

In the last few chapters, TLBO suddenly redeemed itself from 3-star status.

First and foremost, if you are a lover of the rules (like me), this book instantly becomes incredibly stressful/fascinating. The main characters (good people, we've learned) make a terrible, awful, (and in my opinion) wrong choice. A choice that is so fraught with illogic and heartbreak and desperation that you have to know how it ends.

And this is where the book is redeemed. You can point your finger at sloppy writing and poor characterization, but this is powerful story. This is tragedy in all its beauty and messiness and heartache. The plot kept me coming back for more. And more. And more.

Could our beloved characters be redeemed? Could there be any meaning in the fallout?

(Side note: TLBO also had some lovely symbolism about light, opposing forces, and reconciliation. This could probably fill another review, but if you like interesting symbolism, you'll find it here.)

As I hungrily read the last chapter sitting on the floor of my bathroom at midnight, and I was surprised to find tears running down my face. Most books don't make me cry. But this one did. This one made me feel so much more than I ever expected. Even though TLBO could have been so much more, somehow it found a way into my heart.

To me, great stories are ones that allow me to experience tragedy in such a way that I am pointed back to how grateful I am for God: for having purpose beyond the people and circumstances in my life. It's healthy in our privileged American life to vicariously experience sorrow and tragedy from time to time.

So I'll finish by saying: Read it. Read it for the story and the sorrow. Read it to the end.

Read my full review at bigdipperbooks.com. ( )

A story about a lighthouse keeper family's life after world war 1 in a small West Australian community. Some sad bits, some joyous bits. A great tale. ( )