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The Story
A woman at the end of her life. A man unable to restart his. A history of guilty secrets and things left unsaid. A powerful, moving novel that will steal your heart.
Elderly and in poor health, Mary has lived in Hobart a long time. But when a letter is delivered to her house by someone she hoped never to see again, she decides to return to Bruny Island so she can live out her last days with only her regrets and memories for company. Years before, her husband was the lighthouse keeper on Bruny, and she raised her family on the windswept island, until terrible circumstances forced them back to civilisation. Now, the secret that has haunted her for decades threatens to break free and she is hoping to banish it before her time is up. But secrets have a life of their own, and as Mary relives the events of her life, she realises her power over the future may be limited.
Back in Hobart, Mary's adult children are respectively outraged, non-committal and sympathetic about her escape from their care. But no amount of coaxing will shake her resolve. Her youngest son Tom loves Bruny, and can understand her connection to that wild island, a place of solitude, healing and redemption for them both.
As Mary's secret threatens to tear her apart, both she and Tom must face their pasts in ways they cannot even begin to imagine. And Mary finds that the script that she's written to the end of her life has taken a few twists of its own.
The Lightkeeper's Wife is a moving story of love, loss and family, and what we have to do to live the best kind of life.
Inspiration for the Lightkeeper's Wife
I love wild places and I like to experience the elements; wind and rain and solitude. That’s why I visit lighthouses – so remote and isolated and beautiful. But what is it like to live there when all you know is wind and wild weather and aloneness? And how difficult was life for lightkeepers and their families before technology delivered all the easy entertainment that we have available to us today?
In the 1990s, I twice visited Antarctica to study crabeater and Weddell seals for the Australian Antarctic Division. This was another wild place that moved me and deeply affected my life. But how to write about it in a way that wasn’t autobiographical? It took me more than a decade to find within myself the story of Mary Mason, the lightkeeper’s wife, and her son Tom. In my books, landscape is a key factor. For me, the setting must be inspirational, and then the characters meld with place. When I stood for the first time on the shores of Cloudy Bay on Bruny Island in that long southern light, feeling the density of latitude and the atmosphere of south, I knew this was the home for my story. In writing The Lightkeeper’s Wife, I wanted to explore the dark side of isolation and solitude, and the way it affects people’s lives, relationships and psyche. In particular, Mary’s marriage became a journey into women’s strength and resilience. It also helped me to comprehend the personal sacrifices that mothers often make to secure the integrity of the family. Through entering Mary’s fictional life, I came to understand her with deep compassion, and also to sympathise with her son Tom in his struggle to rise above the damage inflicted on him during his stay in Antarctica.
The difference between love and passion is another important theme in this book. Through Mary’s love for Jack and her passion for Adam, I wanted to examine women’s choices and decision making, as well as their dreams and expectations and reality. How important is passion? Can a relationship be sustained on passion alone? What is love without passion? What is success in terms of a relationship? Are our hopes for marriage and relationships realistic, or do we yearn for romantic love? Does this type of love exist and how long can it last?
In writing about Tom’s experiences surrounding his time in Antarctica, I wanted to delve into the difficulty of reassimilation after the isolation and intimacy of living in a small community in a wild and distant place. Normal life is confronting after the simplicity of south. And, while the experience of a prolonged stay in Antarctica can be life-altering in positive ways, it can also be fatal for relationships. The reasons for this are suggested through Tom and Emma’s relationship and discussions, and can be teased out by those who are interested in this facet of the story.
Mary and Tom are purely fictional characters who wrote themselves out of the events that occurred to them. However, writing about characters and coming to know them is a long journey, and Mary, in particular, consumed all my energy and creativity. She is a character of great depth and strength, and through writing about her I have learned much about life and marriage and the integrity of gritty women.
Tom is a culmination of the many sad and difficult times that have wrought themselves upon people I know who have visited Antarctica. He is however, an embodiment of hope and positivity, showing that rebuilding and recovery are possible with the assistance of that great ally, time. Antarctica touches lives in many wonderful and beautiful ways, but, as for Tom, it does have a cost. The result is about balancing the pleasure with the pain, seeing light in the darkness.
Last, The Lightkeeper’s Wife is about death, how we absolve ourselves of unhappiness and mistakes, and how families reconcile themselves with the loss of a loved one. In my job as a veterinarian, I am daily confronted with death and grieving, and this is a theme shows itself in my writing. How can we approach death with grace and love? Can we use death to reaffirm life? Can we learn to speak openly about death, given that it is a fundamental part of life? How does death affect those left behind? What can we expect of grief? How can we manage sadness and anguish? Can nature provide solace? What is left when someone we love is gone?
Mary’s journey to death travels along the path of her decline, her doubts and confusions, her resolution and acceptance, and finally her release. It also traces the worries and concerns of her family, their inability to address some issues, and their giving of love by supporting her in her decisions. This, I hope, gives grace by showing that in humble ways there can be beauty in death through love and acceptance.
Discussion Starters
- The Lightkeeper’s Wife is a moving novel of relationships, of intimacy and distance, passion and love, connection and disconnection. How does distance insert itself into Mary’s relationship with Jack?
- What is the difference between passion and love, and how does this influence our choices in relationships? Can you relate to Mary’s choices and decisions? How much were her decisions influenced by the times? In the end, were her choices justified?
- What are the strengths and successes of a long marriage? Mary made many compromises in her marriage with Jack. Were her compromises vindicated or soul-destroying? How often do women make these types of choices and who do they make them for?
- Do you believe that contentedness and peace can be found in a marriage which lacks passion?
- Commitment at all costs was a significant mantra of Mary’s era. What were the costs and benefits of such an attitude in society?
- Why does Mary reject Adam a second time? Was this choice inevitable or was it a mistake?
- Mary comments on the “life-death-life cycle” of love. Do you think it is possible to love again after betrayal in a relationship?
- Mary’s son Tom is deeply affected by his upbringing at the lighthouse and also by his experiences in Antarctica. How do you think isolation influences a person’s psyche, personality and approach to life?
- Tom is attracted to Emma’s confidence and magnetic personality. What makes Tom ready to engage in a relationship again after such a long period of withdrawal? Having been to Antarctica himself, are there ways in which he could have better assisted Emma in her restlessness and confusion? Or was he incapable of acting any other way?
- How has Tom moved forward by the end of the book? Do you think he would consider going to Antarctica again, and if so, would this be positive or retrogressive?
- People can be deeply wounded by life experiences. Is withdrawal an acceptable solution? And how can such people be enticed back into life?
- Animals are important companions for humans. In what ways do animals give support to people, and what is the role of Jess in this book?