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1. Discuss the novel’s
title, The Light Between Oceans. Why do you think the author
selected this title? What do you visualize when you hear or read The
Light Between Oceans?
2. The novel is rich with detailed descriptions of the ocean, the sky,
and the wild landscape of Janus Rock. Is there a particular passage or
scene that stood out to you? What role does the natural world play in
Tom and Isabel’s life?
3. "The isolation spins its mysterious cocoon, focusing the mind on one
place, one time, one rhythm—the turning of the light. The island knows
no other human voices, no other footprints. On the Offshore Lights you
can live any story you want to tell yourself, and no one will say you’re
wrong: not the seagulls, not the prisms, not the wind." (page 110)
Discuss the impact of living in seclusion on both Tom and Isabel. Why do
you think each of them is drawn to live on Janus Rock? Do you think, in
the moments when we are unobserved, we are different people?
4. When Isabel tries to get Tom to open up about his family, he
responds: "I’ll tell you if you really want. It’s just I’d rather not.
Sometimes it’s good to leave the past in the past."(pages 44-45) Do you
think it is possible to leave the past in the past? What do you think of
Tom’s opinion that it’s a "pity" that we’re a product of our family’s
past? What does this tell you about his character? Discuss the impact of
family history on Tom, Isabel, Hannah, and Frank.
5. Tom is haunted by what he witnessed—and what he did—during his
enlistment in World War I. The narrator reflects that he’s not "one of
the men whose legs trailed by a hank of sinews, or whose guts cascaded
from their casing like slithering eels….But he’s scarred all the same,
having to live in the same skin as the man who did the things that
needed to be done back then." (page 10) How do you think Tom’s
experiences as a soldier impact his decisions throughout the novel? What
other outside elements, like the war, influences the narrative?
6. Janus Rock is named for Janus, the Roman God of doorways, "always
looking both ways, torn between two ways of seeing things." (page 65)
How does this knowledge impact your reading of The Light Between
Oceans? Who is "torn between two ways of seeing things"?
7. Discuss the theme of opposites in The Light Between Oceans—darkness
and light; safety and danger; land and water; truth and lies. How do
these opposing forces shape your reading?
8. When Isabel brings Tom the map of Janus, complete with new names for
all the locations on the island, Tom has an interesting reaction: "Janus
did not belong to him: he belonged to it, like he’d heard the natives
thought of the land. His job was just to take care of it." (page 62)
Discuss the difference in Tom’s point of view compared to Isabel’s. Does
this difference in opinion foreshadow future events? How does it relate
to their conflicting opinions of what to do with Lucy?
9. Did you sense that the silver rattle might turn out to play a pivotal
role in the story?
10. Tom believes that rules are vital, that they are what keep a man
from becoming a savage. Do you agree with him?
11. Which characters won your sympathy and why? Did this change over the
course of the novel? Did your notion of what was best or right shift in
the course of your reading?
12. Tom and Isabel’s deception impacts the lives of everyone around
them. What did you think of the other characters’ reactions when they
discover the truth about Lucy? Consider Hannah, Gwen, Septimus, Isabel’s
parents, Ralph, Bluey.
13. Discuss Hannah’s reunion with Grace. Do you think she had fair
expectations? Did you agree with Dr. Sumpton’s advice to Hannah about
completely cutting Lucy off from Isabel and Tom?
14. M.L. Stedman makes it clear that there is no one perfect answer to
the question of who should raise Grace/Lucy. She seems to undermine all
notions of absolutes. It is clear that she will not dismiss all Germans
as evil either. There is Hannah’s husband, ripe for persecution, and yet
he is utterly innocent. Discuss the places in the novel where easy
certainty turns out to be wrong.
15. Were you surprised by Isabel’s final decision to admit her role in
the choice to keep Lucy—freeing Tom, but losing her child forever? Why
or why not? What would you have done?
16. What did you think of the conclusion of the novel? What emotions did
you feel at the story’s end? Did it turn out as you expected? Were you
satisfied?
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