From the Stacks: "The Light Between Oceans' is heart-wrenching story of love, loss, consequences

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

"The Light Between Oceans" is a heart-wrenching work of fiction by new Australian writer M.L. Stedman. Although this novel was repeatedly recommended to me by library patrons and received great reviews, I must admit it began a little too slowly for me. I am pleased to report this did not last long. Once the story began to unfold, I could only put it down because I had to sleep, go to work or feed my kids.

"The Light Between Oceans" is the story of a young couple very much in love. The two meet soon after Tom has survived his World War II tour of duty. Tom has witnessed the horrors of war and wants a simple, quiet life. During his travels, he meets the lively Isabel. She breathes new life into Tom, and he is smitten. They marry and begin their life together.

Tom is the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, a remote Australian island, and he and Isabel are the only two inhabitants on this island. For many people, this solitary life might be less than ideal, but they are content with each other and the isolation does not negatively affect them. They live their first few years of marriage as blissful newlyweds before Isabel begins to experience several miscarriages and one stillbirth. These losses add up and are devastating to the couple, but particularly to Isabel. Each loss brings her more pain and grief, taking a terrible toll on her happy spirit.

Two weeks after Tom and Isabel lose another child, a boat washes on the shores of Janus containing an infant and a dead man. Tom wants to report this incident immediately, but Isabel convinces him to wait until the next day to report it. By then it is already too late. Tom is powerless as he watches his wife fall in love with a baby they have so desperately wanted for years. The decision they make that fateful day changes the course of many lives. It is not until two years later when they visit Isabel's parents on the mainland that they learn the consequences of their actions.

Stedman is a masterful storyteller, and one whose next novel will be eagerly awaited. This book is not for everyone. Those who have experienced the loss of a child might find it particularly unnerving.

Claudia Schoonover is the director of Missouri River Regional Library and a discussion leader of the library's book discussion group, Fiction at Noon.