A Book Review: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

In September, my book club read "The Light Between Oceans". This is an Australian historical fiction novel, written by M.L. Stedman. In 2016, the book was adapted into a movie, but I have never heard of this book or the movie. The story is set in Western Australia in the 1920s, and its background is romance and drama. Admittedly, I would have never read this kind of book by my own accord if it weren't for my book club. However, this book surprised me and I ended up liking this book, a lot. I guess this is one of the benefits of joining a book club; it expands our horizons by making us read good books that we don't usually read.

Synopsis:

A newly wed couple, Tom and Isabel, arrived on Janus Rock. It is a lonely island surrounded by the sea. The couple was to be the new keepers to the island's lighthouse, but they were also the island's only residents. Tom and Isabel dreamed of a beautiful future. However, two miscarriages and one stillbirth sent Isabel into endless grief.

One day, the wind carried a baby's cries to Tom and Isabel; the sea brought onshore a boat, and it bore a dead man and a living baby.

My thoughts on this book:

The story is set on a fictitious Australian island called Janus Rock. In ancient Roman religion, Janus, is a god having two faces. He resembles duality, and he looks into the future and the past. So what significance does the name, "Janus Rock", bear in the story? I think it is a metaphor for saying that, when we set aside the biases, then we discover there are two sides to a story, and this is indeed the book's main theme.

In this book (minor spoiler ahead), Tom and Isabel decided to keep the baby without notifying the officials. Was it morally wrong, or right, for them to do so? This book created a situation, where what you do to one side will inevitably cause sufferings to the other. The book provided a rounded portrayal for every character; it explored their feelings, their thoughts, the circumstances, and what motivated them. The more I read about these characters' stories, the more I sympathized with them. I was torn in half, and I became very reluctant at pointing a finger and say who was right or wrong. This is a moving story, but it is also thought-provoking. At the book club, we had a very interesting discussion around the book's main theme.

The book told the story at a consistent pace. It may not be a page turner, but it will grab you with its powerful story and memorable characters. The worldbuilding in this book is rich, the author successfully created the atmosphere of Australia in the 1920s. Personally, I could not find any fault with the story itself. However, a member from my book club shared that she thought the main character's behavior was unrealistic. For me, I am very good at suspending my disbelief, and so I did not find this character's behavior unbelievable. Meanwhile, I will not spoil who was this character or what was this behavior. I leave the would-be readers to decide for themselves if the story is credible. 

The Light Between Oceans is a good book. This is not the type of book I would read normally, but I was surprised that I liked it. The story is powerful, and it reminded me that life is not black and white; verily, when there are two sides to a story, the best way forward is with love and compassion.