'The Light Between Oceans' by M.L. Stedman

The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman (3.5)

Everyone in book club seemed to agree that one of the best characters in this book was the lighthouse on Janus Rock: isolated, lonely, but stalwart – an inanimate mirror for the protagonist, Tom Sherbourne. Tom returns to Australia, a survivor from WWI who wants to quietly live out the life he feels guilty of living, having seen too many compatriots die arbitrarily during his days of war. He takes on the job of lighthouse keeper at one of the more remote sites on the western side of Australia, with supply boats stopping by only bi-monthly. He meets a precocious young lady on one of his infrequent visits to the closest town on the mainland. The story is of his quest to build this life with her and the aftermath of one very bad decision on both their parts. The first half to two-thirds of this book are moody, interesting and compelling – you watch Tom’s battle between the love for family and his strong moral compass with fascination. Unfortunately most of us agreed that the last third was disappointing and painful to read. While decisions and actions may have been typical of the times (early 20’s) and location (very remote Australia), few of us appreciated or understood them. Overall it made for an interesting discussion – particularly in what we would do differently.