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Mele’s Musings: Unfriended and blocked by the fruit of my own loins

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Security eyed as cases moved from district judges to Luzerne County Courthouse

<p>Lighthouses have always symbolized a haunting combination of romance and loneliness in my eyes. It is fitting that &#8220;The Light Between Oceans&#8221; takes place on an isolated island where one man and his wife live and care for a lighthouse.</p><p>Tom Sherbourne is an Australian reeling from fighting on the Western Front during World War I. He relishes the isolation that comes with being a lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, as he struggles with his years at war. The island is half a day away from the closest Australian shore and with supply boats coming only infrequently, it is a place to be alone with one&#8217;s thoughts.</p><p>He does have companionship, though. His wife, Isabel is young, but also very kind, adventurous and loving. She isn&#8217;t intimidated by their lonely surroundings and is happy to make a life with Tom and build a family.</p><p>But then she suffers from two miscarriages and a stillbirth. As the years go by, her sadness overwhelms her and her adventurous spirit is tamped down.</p><p>Until one day when she hears a baby crying. Tom discovers a boat washed up on shore containing a dead man and a young baby. Isabel is determined to take the child in as their own, despite Tom&#8217;s misgivings. Keeping the baby goes against every one of his principles. But yet, his wife is finally coming alive again and the child quickly wins him over.</p><p>For two years, they live happily with their daughter, Lucy, on the island.</p><p>The world, of course, isn&#8217;t Janus Rock and there are far more people out there that they were able to ignore for the last two years. Returning home for furlough, they realize that someone was deeply impacted by their decision to keep Lucy.</p><p>Going into more detail would spoil the twists this story takes.</p><p>It is a compelling, beautifully written novel. M.L. Stedman paints a lovely picture of the Australian island during the 1930s so this is partially a historical novel, as well as being a love story and mystery. The writing is lyrical but the story also fast-paced. No matter what happens to Lucy, someone will end up devastated, which makes for a heartbreaking, emotional read.</p><p>In the end, this is a powerful book about the choices we make and the consequences those choices can have in our lives.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dorothy Sasso</p><p>On the Books</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>&#8220;The Light Between Oceans&#8221;</p><p>Author: M.L. Stedman</p><p>Page Count: 345</p><p>Publisher: Scribner</p><p>Rating: &#9830;&#9830;&#9830;&#9830;</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dorothy Sasso is a former Soap Opera Digest writer and a private school teacher. She is busy reading books and raising her daughter.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

On the Books: ‘The Light Between Oceans’ examines choices we make, consequences