Tom Sherbourne is a lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock about a half day away from the coast of Australia. It is a solitary and isolated existence until he meets and marries Isobel. At first they are joyously happy but after two miscarriages and a stillbirth their grief overshadows everything. And then one day a boat washes ashore carrying a baby and a dead man. Although Tom is a moral and law abiding sort he cannot turn away from Isobel's pleas to keep the baby. So despite his gut instincts he agrees, buries the man without recording the incident, and together they raise baby Lucy. When his tenure on Janus Rock ends they move back to Partageuse and civilization which in the end is their undoing.
The Light Between Oceans is an emotionally charged book about love and loss--perhaps too much loss--and making decisions that have all consuming consequences, decisions that are both right and wrong and understandable as both. This was a book club selection that was loved by all the members. A great debut novel.
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