The Light Between Oceans

2014 Longlist

Tom Sherbourne, released from the horrors of the First World War, is now a lighthouse keeper, cocooned on a remote island with his young wife Izzy, who is content in everything but her failure to have a child.
One April morning, a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man – and a crying baby. Safe from the real world, Tom and Izzy break the rules and follow their hearts.
It is a decision with devastating consequences.

(From Publisher)

About the Author

M. L. Stedman was born in Western Australia and now lives in London. The Light Between Oceans is her first book. It has been sold in 31 territories and is due to be made into a film. In 2012, it was voted Best Historical Novel by 1.5 million voters on the Goodreads website.

Librarians’ Comments

A moving, heart wrenching and morally compelling story. A triumphant debut novel.

Debut novel by Australian author M. L. Stedman. Wonderfully descriptive, set in a remote lighthouse (the lighthouse is almost given a human quality, like one of the characters), off the Australian coast. An emotionally charged and complex story. Decisions taken and the resulting consequences, moral dilemmas, the sustaining power of love all combine to make this a highly moving, thought-provoking read.

This book is emotionally driven. The landscape is beautiful and the characters are vivid.

After returning from hellish conditions on the battlefield of WW1 France, Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabel find themselves on the isolated island of Janus Rock. As the lighthouse keeper, Tom is meticulous in recording detains and events until the day a dead man and a live infant wash up on the shore. This novel is a stunning debut for author Stedman; a tale of isolation, courage, and the heartbreaking choices people make and the haunting consequences they must face.