Inspired by a haunting true story, a gorgeous and atmospheric novel about the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from a remote tower miles from the Cornish coast -- and about the wives left behind On New Year's Eve, 1972, a boat pulls up to the Maiden Rock lighthouse with relief for the keepers. But no one greets the boat. When the entrance door, locked from the inside, is battered down, rescuers find an empty tower. A table is laid for a meal not eaten. The Principal Keeper's weather log describes a ...
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Inspired by a haunting true story, a gorgeous and atmospheric novel about the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from a remote tower miles from the Cornish coast -- and about the wives left behind On New Year's Eve, 1972, a boat pulls up to the Maiden Rock lighthouse with relief for the keepers. But no one greets the boat. When the entrance door, locked from the inside, is battered down, rescuers find an empty tower. A table is laid for a meal not eaten. The Principal Keeper's weather log describes a storm raging round the tower, but the skies have been clear all week. And the clocks have all stopped at 8:45. What strange fate befell the doomed men? The heavy sea whispers their names. Black rocks roll beneath the surface, drowning ghosts. And out of the swell like a finger of light, the salt-scratched tower stands lonely and magnificent. Two decades later, a writer determined to find out the truth about the men's disappearance visits the wives who were left behind. Moving between the women's stories and the men's last weeks together in the lighthouse, we see long-held secrets surface and truths twist into lies as we try to piece together what happened, why and who to believe. In her riveting and suspenseful novel, Emma Stonex writes a story about isolation and obsession, reality and illusion, and what it takes to keep the light burning when all else is swallowed by darkness.
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The Lamplighters is inspired by the true-life events of the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers in the Flannen Isles Lighthouse in 1900. All 3 keepers disappeared with no trace and to add to the locked room mystery, all of the clocks had stopped. It's a great starting point for the novel, although all other elements are fictional but it really makes you think about what could have happened.
At the end of The Lamplighters Emma Stonex credits anthologies and memoirs that belonged to real keepers. There is an impressive list of background research and this really comes through in the text. The description of the claustrophobic and atmospheric backdrop of The Maiden Lighthouse feels so grounded in reality and the whole book is beautifully written and haunting.
The book changes narrative perspective quite frequently, and we move between chapters set in the past, from Lighthouse Keepers Arthur, Bill and Vince before their disappearance and 20 years afterwards from their partners Jenny, Helen and Michelle. The women's chapters are also interspersed with transcripts of interviews with an author and also a few official documents. This had the potential to become quite confusing but I found most of the characters to be well-defined. My only light criticism was that I found Bill and Arthur to be quite similar voices at the beginning of the book which did confuse me a little on occasion.
I liked how each person was keeping a secret which is hinted at before being slowly revealed and some were more prevalent than others as to the relevance of the disappearance. There are a lot of red herrings and I jumped between guessing the conclusion many times. The woman's chapters in particular were very harrowing - showing how lonely and isolating the men's jobs were, not only for them but also for the people around them. Although it was a noble profession it made me glad that the job is now automated as it must have been difficult for all family members to endure.
Overall, The Lamplighters is a beautiful and hauntingly written book which brings an old unsolved mystery back out into the open. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan - Picador for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
