The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

 

Hardback: 355 pages      

Genre:  Fiction                                            

Publisher: Picador 2021

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: When Jory opens the curtains, the day is light and grey, the radio playing a half known song.

Favourite Quote: “It’s the small things that keep a marriage going: things that don’t cost a lot but that tell the other person you love them and don’t ask for anything in return.”

Review Quote: 'A wonderfully smart and atmospheric story' Observer

My Opinion: Emma Stonex’s inspiration for this novel came from a real life event in December 1900 when three lighthouse keepers disappeared from the Eilean Mor lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides.   The idea of her novel being a fictional mystery behind the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers in the seventies sounded appealing, so I decided to read ‘The Lamplighters’

I was disappointed though especially with the ending which left me feeling let down and confused, but then maybe that was the point, or I just did not get it. I did enjoy learning about lighthouse life though and the writer kept the suspense flowing with the dual timeline.

A well researched storyline and worth reading if you are interested in lighthouse life. As far as ghostly mystery goes you might be disappointed if you are a fan of the genre.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: They say we'll never know what happened to those men.

They say the sea keeps its secrets...

Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The Principal Keeper’s weather log describes a mighty storm, but the skies have been clear all week.

What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. The tide shifts beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?

Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface . . .

The Lamplighters is a heart-stopping mystery rich with the salty air of the Cornish coast, and an unforgettable story of love and grief that explores the way our fears blur the line between the real and the imagined.

Author Profile:  

Courtesy of Goodreads

Emma Stonex was born in 1983 and grew up in Northamptonshire, about as far from the sea as it’s possible to be in the UK. Her love affair with lighthouses and the coast began with childhood holidays to Cornwall and the Isle of Wight, which remain among her favourite places to visit.

Before becoming a writer, Emma worked as an editor in publishing. Ahead of THE LAMPLIGHTERS, she wrote several books under pseudonyms, but saved her real name for the story that had always been in her heart: the real-life mystery of three lighthouse keepers who vanished from their rock light in 1900 and to this day have never been found.

She lives in Bristol with her husband and two young daughters.

Photograph and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Amazon Author Profile   Emma Stonex - Twitter Profile  Goodreads Author Profile