The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Janus Rock is a small rocky island off the Southwestern coast of Australia. There two great oceans meet and the lighthouse of Janus Rock provides the beacon to guide ships safely around the rocky coastline. It is a solitary life. The supply boat comes out every few months and shore leave is granted once every three years. On his first leave the lighthouse keeper meets a girl and falls in love. Their relationship blooms through their sporadic correspondence. On his next leave they marry and return together to Janus Rock. After all, the island will be a lively place once the children arrive. It does not seem meant to be. She suffers two miscarriages and has just recently given birth to a stillborn boy when a baby’s cries are heard on the wind. The couple thinks they are hallucinating but the sound continues. On the rocky shore is a dinghy. Aboard are a dead man and an infant. The keeper knows that he should report the incident yet his wife begs him to delay. How can he deny his grieving wife this little bit of comfort? He will report the incident the next day. Or does he?
This is a book all about consequences, guilt and responsibility. You really get into the moralistic nitty gritty of how a decision can affect the lives of many in a myriad of different ways. Fans of domestic fiction that asks the hard questions, like the works of Jodi Picoult and Barbara Delinsky, will find a lot to like and think about in this novel.
