The Lamplighters - Emma Stonex

Started: Sunday 26th June 2022

Finished: Wednesday 29th June 2022

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"It takes a certain sort to withstand being locked up. Loneliness. Isolation. Monotony. Nothing for miles except sea and sea and sea. No friends. No women. Just the other two, day in, day out, unable to get away from them, it could drive you stark mad."

I picked up The Lamplighters on a whim when I visited Waterstones at the weekend. The premise of the book is one I'm familiar with:

In 1900, three lighthouse keepers disappeared from a Lighthouse off the coast of Scotland. The story has been adapted into a film with Gerrard Butler called The Vanishing.

In this adaptation, three Lighthouse keepers disappear in 1972, leaving behind their three wives and plenty of speculation as to why and how these three vanished without a trace.

Through flashbacks and articles, we understand not only the mindset of the six main characters that this story circles, but also their secrets, their stories and the lives of those that were left behind.

As someone who has always lived by the sea, but never fortunate to live near a Lighthouse, I join the ranks of those who romanticise the idea and Stonex does a fantastic job of painting the picture of just how unromantic it is.

Each of the characters are built well, and I was completely suckered in. The twists, turns and revelations are subtle and without flaw.

Comments

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