The Light Between Oceans

Where do right and wrong stop? In what way is each of these notions perceived by every individual? Do we have the right to play God and presume we will be able to correct the injustice that may have inflicted our lives? Tom and Isabel's course in the story is determined by their own answers to these questions.The Light Between Oceans has been waiting patiently in my TBR list for quite some time. Once it knocked on my door, I started reading it more than eagerly, my expectations were high. Now that I have finished it, I can say that it was an average book, maybe good, perhaps very good for most people, but not for me. I didn't find it earth-shattering,it didn't touch me, it did not do much for me.The story goes back and forth, initially, between the years of 1918 and 1926. The opening scenes definitely picked my interest, they were a perfect introduction to the characters and the setting. I won't bore you with plot details, but I must say that I am a completely biased person when it comes to lighthouses. I am obsessed with them, I can browse pictures of those magnificent structures for hours. Therefore, the main reason I wanted to read this book was the setting, it is not often that we get to experience a story taking place in a remote island where the lighthouse is the real sovereign of the land. Another feature I appreciated was the inclusion of all those Australian colloquialisms. It was really interesting to read and discover the meaning of the phrases, some of which were really beautiful. This brings me to my main point of complaint : the writing.Many of the descriptions are beautiful and vivid, and convey the isolation of the setting well, but the dialogue did nothing for me. I found the majority of the interactions too dramatic, a bit unrealistic, too much soap-opera territory. Also, repetition was another issue I had to fight with while I was reading. I don't need to read twice about a christening, I know how it's done. Well, even if I didn't, I do now. The writer uses almost the same words on both occassions. How many times should I read about lens? Or about a guilty conscience? Too many words in pages over pages over pages...I don't know whether this is a trope of romantic novels. To be fair, I didn't think I was holding a romantic novel when I started reading this book. I wanted a historical fiction with a controversial, dark story, not a reading that would- almost forcefully- try to make me cry. Well, it didn't work. Actually, it never works. It is very seldom that I cry in books or films, but that's another story...Was all dialogue bad? No, Tom was a bright ray of light. He is a very interesting character, his thoughts are coming through clearly, his feelings were conveyed in a beautiful manner. His trauma of being a survivor of the First World War is everywhere in the narration, and it provides a very interesting insight to his actions, his fears and hesitations. And Isabel? Well, I tried to understand the motives of her actions. I did, this was no problem. My problem with her comes from her words. There was something in her interactions that made her appear aloof and ignorant and vain, and in many times plainly stupid and evil. Unwilling to see what's in front of her eyes, her only capacity to hide the problems under the carpet. Hannah was indifferent, the other secondary characters laughably bad. I felt anger and sadness at a point, but not for the reason I expected. I was sad over the way the community treated Frank. Should innocent people pay for the faults and the sins of the heads of their countries? This is a question that we will ask forever, to the end of time, and there will never be an answer. Or rather, there is an answer, an immediate NO, but it is a voice crying into the wilderness. And that was the only thing in the book I felt strongly about.The Light Between Oceans should be interesting and appealing to many of us. It has a strong protagonist, it provides a view to a place unknown, isolated, wild. I wouldn't say that I regretted reading it, but it didn't move me, it won't stay with me, I don't consider it ‘‘unforgettable''. Far, far from it. For me, it was just average, and nothing more. I enjoy dark and controversial stories, and that is why I had problems with all the melodrama here. I don't want a tearjerker just for the sake of it. Perhaps, I was still too engrossed in the magic of [b:The Snow Child 11250053 The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327098624s/11250053.jpg 16176521]...Ah, there's a nice way to write about feelings of love and loss without constant hysterics and evokings to God to come and save you...