A lighthouse keeper and his wife discover an abandoned dingy with a dead man and crying baby just days after the wife has suffered her third devastating miscarriage. Isabel convinces her husband Tom to keep the baby instead of reporting it to the authorities. As the only inhabitants of the remote island off the coast of Australia, it seems like no one would suspect the baby isn't really theirs. Then, during one of their infrequent visits to the mainland, they discover the baby's family and the tragic story behind her predicament. Will Isabel and Tom be able to keep their lie between them or will they return the baby to her real family?
Spoiler alert: this is a sad book! I felt so much sympathy for each of the characters. Stedman does a great job making even morally questionable decisions understandable. She also conveys the loneliness and sense of duty of a lighthouse keeper perfectly. This is a remarkable first novel. I highly recommend it.
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