The Light Between Oceans | M. L. Stedman

So, I'm really bad about reading books that I "should" read. See also: classics and historical fiction novels. I love a book that has a riveting plot with well developed characters, which is often the case with those two genres. Unfortunately, this can also mean very flowery and elaborate prose, something that generally turns me away from a book.

Enter Audible and The Light Between Oceans. I had a free trial and a couple of credits, so I decided to download this book an listen to is as I cleaned. A friend recommended it to me, and although the plot sounded very interesting, I knew it was set in the early 1900s and I was afraid I'd quickly get bored.

That wasn't the case with this book! The Light Between Oceans is equal parts heartbreaking and exciting. Without giving too much away, this book is about a lightkeeper and his wife who are trying to have a baby. They have difficulty conceiving, until one day a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a very alive baby. What does the couple do? Try and find the mother, who very well may be dead herself, and risk losing the baby to foster care, or raise her as one of their own? Part of what thrilled me about this book were the various plot twists, so I'll keep this brief. I have to head to a discussion forum on Goodreads or something, because I am SO ANNOYED with one of the main characters toward the end of this! It did not go the way I thought it would... and I love/hate that. Loyalty, family, and obligation are themes weaved throughout, and I can't recommend this enough. The Audible narration was wonderful as well- I loved that they went with someone with an Australian accent (who also happens to be on Game of Thrones!) 

Most impressively, this was M. L. Stedman's debut novel! I hope she has more on their way. It's also going to be made into a movie later in 2016. Read it before it does!

Rating: 5 out of 5