The Light Between Oceans


 * For the film version, see The Light Between Oceans (film)

The Light Between Oceans is a 2012 Australian historical fiction novel by M. L. Stedman, her debut novel, published by Random House Australia on 20 March 2012. A film adaptation of the same name starring Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender was released on 2 September 2016.

Summary
Australian Tom Sherbourne returns home after fighting in the Western Front trenches of World War I in Europe. He and his wife, Isabel, move to an isolated lighthouse, where they remain for several years. While there they informally adopt a baby girl who washes up in a lifeboat. When the child is two years old, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland on leave. There they discover that "there are other people in the world" and keeping the child "has devastated one of them".

Reception
The novel received positive reviews upon publication. Sue Arnold writing for The Guardian called it "an extraordinary book" comparing the plot to Thomas Hardy's works. The Denver Post criticized the book as "somewhat predictable" but was positive on the work overall. The Sydney Morning Herald noted that it "is a work of such quality, insight and intrigue, it prompted an international bidding war among publishers.", and called it "A remarkable, very readable, debut." Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly both gave it starred reviews.

The Light Between Oceans won the 2013 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year and Debut Fiction Awards, made the 2013 longlist for the Miles Franklin Award, and the 2014 longlist of the International Dublin Literary Award.

Film adaptation
The novel was developed into a feature film by DreamWorks, with David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford producing. Derek Cianfrance is directing, with Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz starring. The film was released by Touchstone Pictures on 2 September 2016.