The Light Between Oceans - Softcover

"Irresistible...seductive...a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page."--Sara Nelson, "O," the Oprah magazine

"An extraordinary and heart-rending book about good people, tragic decisions and the beauty found in each of them."--Markus Zusak, author of "The Book Thief"

"Haunting...Stedman draws the reader into her emotionally complex story right from the beginning, with lush descriptions of this savage and beautiful landscape, and vivid characters with whom we can readily empathize. Hers is a stunning and memorable debut."--"Booklist," starred review""

"[Stedman sets] the stage beautifully to allow for a heart-wrenching moral dilemma to play out... Most impressive is the subtle yet profound maturation of Isabel and Tom as characters."--"Publishers Weekly," starred review

"The miraculous arrival of a child in the life of a barren couple delivers profound love but also the seeds of destruction. Moral dilemmas don't come more exquisite than the one around which Australian novelist Stedman constructs her debut."--"Kirkus Reviews," starred review

"This heartbreaking debut from M L Stedman is a gem of a book that you'll have trouble putting down"--"Good Housekeeping"

"A beautifully delineated tale of love and loss, right and wrong, and what we will do for the happiness of those most dear."--Tova Beiser "The Boston Globe "

"Elegantly rendered...heart-wrenching...the relationship between Tom and Isabel, in particular, is beautifully drawn."--Elysa Gardner "USA Today "

The years-long New York Times bestseller and Goodreads Best Historical Novel that is “irresistible...seductive...with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page” (O, The Oprah Magazine)—soon to be a major motion picture from Spielberg’s Dreamworks starring Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz, and Alicia Vikander, and directed by Derek Cianfrance.

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

“Elegantly rendered...heart-wrenching...beautifully drawn” (USA TODAY), The Light Between Oceans is a gorgeous debut novel, not soon to be forgotten.