The Light Between Oceans.
By M. Stedman.
A well-written and tightly crafted novel. Hard to believe it
is Stedman’s debut. The story begins with Tom Sherbourne excepting a position
to tend a lighthouse, on the island of Janus Rock off the western coast of
Australia. He is seeking solitude and isolation while dealing with his post-war
survivor guilt. On a trip to the town of Point Partageuse he meets Isabel, they
marry and begin their life together, she keeping house and he keeping loving
and professional care of the lighthouse (itself becoming a character)
The tone sets
the mood, they want children but are devastated with two miscarriages and one
still-born, we know there is not going to be a jolly outcome, but from the
beautiful prose and vivid description of life on a wild and isolated island, we
are pulled deeper and mindfully into the fold. It is with deep trepidation we
see what happens when two people make a choice, and its outcome will change the
lives of many and last for decades.
I enjoyed the book. The book reviews have been positive.
Some readers on Goodreads noted the change in tense being clunky and the
author’s modern voice being at odds with the 1920’s time period.
I wanted to share some information relating to the author.
Extract from an interview with the author. The plotting in
this novel is tight and neatly crafted (almost like a ship, I kept thinking as
I was reading). Do you think that your work as a lawyer has impacted your
writing style in terms of attention to details, an ability to cross all the
"t" and dot all the "i"s?
I love the idea of the plot being as sound as a ship! I
think the greatest impact of my legal background is that it allows me to write
freely and spontaneously, without meticulously plotting in advance. Lawyers are
probably hard-wired for structure, so it’s a reflex rather than something to
spend a lot of conscious thought on. And yes, the legal training helps on the
detail, too, making sure that things are consistent.
Q: When it comes to the setting, the book seems to be
written with much love. Is that coastal setting close to your heart?
Definitely! I’m always happiest beside an ocean. I grew up
with the West Australian landscape, and I so enjoyed putting it on the page –
describing the place I’ve loved all my life.
Q: Who are your own favorite writers? Do you think any of
them have had an impact on this novel?
A few favorites who spring to mind (in no particular order)
are Graham Greene, George Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cormac
McCarthy, Jane Gardam, Andre Gide, Ian McEwan, Edith Wharton, Katherine
Mansfield... I suppose what they have in common is an unflinching eye, a
profound understanding of the human heart, and a mastery of language. Those are
the qualities I find most rewarding in books, so they’re the ones I’d like to
bring, in however pale a reflection, to what I write.
Marjorie Kehe is the Monitor's books editor.
Overall, it is a great read, the reasoning at times made me
a little annoyed with Isabel, to turn the story emotionally, the author has
Isabel angry with Tom, knowing he may hang if she does not tell the truth. I
found it hard to believe she could convince herself that it was his fault. She
might have made the right decision in the end, but the only way I could justify
her reasoning was, she must be mad. I probably would have been off my rocker,
after such an ordeal.
Lara Robinson
Here is some popular prose from the kindle conversations.
The curls of the dark hair swirling like a net cast on the
wind.
You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it
all day, every day. You have to keep remembering all the bad things.
You can kill a bloke with rules, Tom knew that. And yet
sometimes they were what stood between a man and savagery, between man and
monsters.
The rain is falling more heavily, and in the distance,
thunder grumbles at being left behind by the lightning.
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