Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
World War II is over. Tom comes home from the war weary from all the death that surrounded him. His relationship with his family are nonexitent and he just wants peace and quiet. He signs up to be a light keeper which means spending long stretches all alone with absolutely no one on the island and no phone service.
He is asked to take an assignment on Janus Rock a light house that is extremely isolated. In fact, he will find himself going months without uttering a word. It just so happens that before he leaves for Janus he meets Isabel and they fall in Love. He tells her to think over what their life would be like and gives her the opportunity to turn down the proposal of marriage. She does not refuse him;they marry and go to live on Janus.
More than anything Isabel wants a family but to her and Tom's great sadness she has several miscarriages. One day a small boat washes onto the lighthouse shores and in the boat aredead man and an infant who by a miracle is alive.. Isabel begs Tom to not report the incident of the boat washing ashore so that she may keep the infant and raise her as their own. This goes against the rules followed by the lighthouse keepers and for that matter Tom's respect for the rules.
But as I said before, the life of the lighthouse keeper is lonely iwhether he is alone or even if he has a family with him. He loves Isabel more than anything and sees how happy the baby makes her feel. This story is about all the people who are positively and negatively affected by this decision. It is a very interesting book and makes you question what you would do if confronted with this same situation.
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