A review by bookswithlukas
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
5.0
THE FEELS PEOPLE. OMG THE FEELS.
"This is a story about right and wrong, and how sometimes they look the same."
This was quite simply, an amazing book. I'm not one for emotional reads, but come the end I couldn't help praying for a happy ending, despite knowing that one would not likely come.
This is the debut novel by the author, and she has hit it out of the park on her first try. Her character building is brilliant, she limits herself to a few characters (each of which get a chance to express themselves in chapters throughout the novel) and builds them up to be completely emotionally rounded characters who you really feel you get to know. The situations are created from the choices the characters make, and even when you know they are doing something wrong, like Izzy and Tom taking the baby, part of you wants them too, and just like they do, you forget all about the possibility of the baby's mum being alive somewhere.
The scenes with Hannah dealing with the loss and recovery of her child were especially heart-breaking, and again, felt completely real. From a book where so many people do so many things wrong, it's surprising to discover that there are no absolute villans present in the novel at all. It's a novel that seems fascinated by the repercussions of good intentions.
The Island of Janus was also beautifully described and detailed, to the point where I could clearly picture it in my head, and picture the three characters living their idyllic little life out on the ocean. The chapters in the mainland left me itching to get back to Janus, where I knew the characters were safe from the unfolding investigation, and also the guilt they had of their choice.
Overall, an astounding debut novel that easily belongs in my Top 20. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with in the future.
"This is a story about right and wrong, and how sometimes they look the same."
This was quite simply, an amazing book. I'm not one for emotional reads, but come the end I couldn't help praying for a happy ending, despite knowing that one would not likely come.
This is the debut novel by the author, and she has hit it out of the park on her first try. Her character building is brilliant, she limits herself to a few characters (each of which get a chance to express themselves in chapters throughout the novel) and builds them up to be completely emotionally rounded characters who you really feel you get to know. The situations are created from the choices the characters make, and even when you know they are doing something wrong, like Izzy and Tom taking the baby, part of you wants them too, and just like they do, you forget all about the possibility of the baby's mum being alive somewhere.
The scenes with Hannah dealing with the loss and recovery of her child were especially heart-breaking, and again, felt completely real. From a book where so many people do so many things wrong, it's surprising to discover that there are no absolute villans present in the novel at all. It's a novel that seems fascinated by the repercussions of good intentions.
The Island of Janus was also beautifully described and detailed, to the point where I could clearly picture it in my head, and picture the three characters living their idyllic little life out on the ocean. The chapters in the mainland left me itching to get back to Janus, where I knew the characters were safe from the unfolding investigation, and also the guilt they had of their choice.
Overall, an astounding debut novel that easily belongs in my Top 20. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with in the future.