Friday, September 2, 2016

#31: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

I brought The Light Between Oceans with me on our recent trip to Italy, to read on the plane and on train trips between cities.  I never counted on not being able to put this book down once I started reading and that I would finish it way before our 10 hour plane ride home, leaving me with only a e-book on my phone to read on the trip home (every book lovers' nightmare).

The story is about Tom and Isabel, a couple who live on an isolated island off the coast of Australia, as Tom is the light keeper on Janus Rock.  They both love where they live, no matter how remote or frequently visited by others, and are excited to find out that they are expecting a baby.  However, as miscarriage after miscarriage devastates this young couple, they both become sadder and sadder and question their life on the island.  But one day Tom finds a boat, washed ashore, that contains a dead man and a small baby girl: alive, hungry, and crying.  What happens next forms the plot of this story and I don't dare give it away.

What I will say is that I could not imagine facing the choices this family has to face--it was heart breaking.  I finished the book on the train from Florence to Rome and I am fairly positive there is an Italian mother with two daughters who sat with me that day that are still telling their friends and family about the crazy American woman who was bawling her eyes out in the seat next to/across from them.  I can't wait to see the movie but know I will be bawling there too. Maybe it will be a sunny day when I see the movie and I can wear my sunglasses home to hide my red, puffy eyes.

This one should be on your list of must-reads.  It's a phenomenal story.

Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie

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