I heard this idea on NPR one day a long time ago and it stuck with me: whenever I hear the title of the book somewhere in the book it makes me think: gagggggggggg. I don’t know why. It feels hokey or something. And seeing as I’m a fan of very strange sounds, gagggggggghhh is not a sound I like to make when reading a book. It’s kinda like that mushy feeling you get when there’s too much kissing going on in a book. blech.
Where was I? Oh . The Light Between Oceans. The title is NOT in the book and for that I love the book. I didn’t love the book; didn’t hate it either. I LOVE LOVE LOVE learning about lighthouses and Australia, but the story took too long to develop. But when it did develop, it was nice. What’s interesting about the book is that the human struggle post WWI in Australia is strikingly similar to that all over the world: PTSD, break ups of families, sadness, loss, new beginnings, etc.
The life of a lighthouse keeper is a lonely one. And while I’m not a swimmer or a fisherman nor do I enjoy breezy ocean sprays, there is something about being alone with a lighthouse (and it’s dangerous mercury) and the magnificent ocean view that intrigues me. Hours of solitude and being alone with my thoughts sounds like a pretty pleasurable way to spend my days. It’s completely romantic rubbish, I’m sure but the introvert in me likes at least the idea of it.
Thanks to the magic of the internet I found a photo of a lighthouse that might have been the inspiration for the lighthouse in this book.
Not nearly as romantic looking as imagined in the book but gives you an idea of what the terrain might have looked like.
So, the great thing about reading books is that you get to travel. For this book I traveled to Australia and learned about Tasmania too, while googling Australia.
I wonder where I’ll travel to next in my readings?
Have you read The Light Between Oceans? What are your thoughts?