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Apr 07, 2017bibliosara rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
In Stedman's emotionally wrought novel, a young couple struggles to find peace amidst the greatest lie they have ever been a part of. In the years following World War I, veteran Tom Sherbourne finds the quiet he desperately seeks as the light-keeper of a remote island of the coast of western Australia. Soon, he is joined by his new young wife, Isabel, whose passion and vitality for life reignite his own. Both believe they have outrun the tragedies that lie in their past, but fate has another hand in store for them. After several horrible miscarriages, Isabel and Tom find an infant washed ashore. The decision they make that day will change their lives-and the lives of people they have yet to meet. Stedman's novel is heart-wrenching and powerful, a story whose characters make you feel hope, joy, heartbreak, and anger in intense waves of emotion. The story will hold you captive from cover to cover. The power of one decision is rarely seen in such vivid and complex experiences. There were a lot of tears as I read this book. Although the plot can be a bit slow, the characters, the events, the daily life; it all weaves itself around your heart until you realize that you have fallen in love with the book as much as the characters have fallen in love with one another. At once a love story, a mystery, a parable, and a historical novel, this book will capture your heart and leave you wondering which day it is when you finally pull yourself out of the pages.