The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

"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."

I've had this book for a very long time but only picked it up because I was planning to watch the film last evening. I'd only gotten about halfway and decided to go ahead and see it despite my usual rule to read the book first. Although the book is so much better, the film was decent and gave me all the feels. Then, I went back and finished today and can't stop thinking about this very sad, but beautiful story.

The setting, the writing, and the characters are brought to life on the pages. Though it is slower than the action-packed novels I usually read, I was riveted from the beginning. The story begins by introducing us to Tom and Isabel Sherbourne as they discover the boat, the dead man and the baby that will both save their lives and nearly destroy them. They are living in isolation on Janus Rock where Tom is the lightkeeper. On that fateful day, Isabel and Tom are both still reeling after her third miscarriage and this infant girl seems to be a gift from God. That's when they make the fateful decision to bury the dead man, probably the baby's father, and keep this newborn that they name, Lucy. The narrative continues, but starts with details about Tom, his war service, and his posting to the Commonwealth Light Service. The reader learns about Tom and Isabel meeting, their unusual courtship, eventual marriage and life on Janus Rock. The descriptions are mesmerizing and the reader is drawn into their world. At times uplifting but eventually heartbreaking, this is a tale that is hard to forget. NO SPOILERS.

I am so glad that I picked this up and I'd definitely recommend it, especially to book clubs as there is so much within to discuss and debate. The moral issues, theories about parenthood, doing the right thing, how love can transform everything -- it's all there. I'm sure I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time. I'm giving it 4+ stars.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - literary fiction, family drama