The Lamplighters: Emma Stonex

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Emma Stonex was born in 1983 and grew up in Northamptonshire. After working in publishing for several years, she quit to pursue her dream of writing fiction. The Lamplighters left harbour after a lifelong passion for lighthouses and everything to do with the sea. She lives in the Southwest with her family. In all my years I’ve realised there are two kinds of people. The ones who hear a creak in a dark, lonely house, and shut the windows because it must have been the wind. And the ones who hear a creak in a dark, lonely house, light a candle, and go to take a look.” Three lighthouse men have disappeared whilst on shift at the lighthouse, the building is empty and they have vanished without a trace.

Flannan Isles Vanishing: the power of an enduring mystery The Flannan Isles Vanishing: the power of an enduring mystery

They appear as she remembers them, and Helen realizes that time has not aged them in her heart. Helen and Jenny exchange a wave, and she feels a sense of connection and understanding with them. What really got on my nerves in the first half, however, was the constant – or really very frequent – hinting at dark secrets that would only be revealed in the second half of the book. It became stale very fast to be told by each of the characters that something happened in the past. A mystery is only a mystery for as long as it remains unsolved. The set-up can carry as many intriguing details as you like, but at the whiff of an answer, it loses its power. My challenge with The Lamplighters was to tread the fine line between committing to what I think happened to the keepers, and leaving enough avenues open for readers to decide on their version of events. While The Lamplighters is in many ways a book about the endurance of the human spirit, it is also about this need in us to find resolution, to reach the truth, and ultimately to throw light on dark places. As the story concludes, Helen sees two figures waiting for her under a yew tree, and she recognizes them as Jenny and Michelle, the wives of the missing lighthouse keepers. Normally when people come on, they know they’re not part of it. This is our world they’re in, so they have to toe the line… But there’s an unnatural feeling about Sid. I can’t say what. His voice is high-pitched for a bloke and for someone that big; it’s not entirely like a woman’s, but not far off. It doesn’t sit on him, like it doesn’t belong to him…

Twenty years later, the women they left behind are still struggling to move on. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy, but instead it drove them apart. And then a writer approaches them. He wants to give them a chance to tell their side of the story. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface . . . I’ve added this one to my tbr after reading your fantastic review! I love the quotes and this sounds like exactly my kind of book. I’m really excited to get it although I don’t know when that will be! Life ashore feels wrong to me. I’m thrown by the unsteadiness of it all. Telephones ring unexpectedly. Local shops sell two types of milk and I can’t decide which to buy. People tell me their news in detail… knowing it won’t make the slightest bit of difference to me. In that way it’s only ever a halfway house, the land life, in that I’m there but not there, like going to a party full of people I’ve never met, ignorant of the dress code and having to leave before midnight. In all my years I’ve realised there are two kinds of people. The ones who hear a creak in a dark, lonely house, and shut the windows because it must have been the wind. And the ones who hear a creak in a dark, lonely house, light a candle, and go to take a look.’

The Lamplighters - Book Ending Explained - Wrote a Book The Lamplighters - Book Ending Explained - Wrote a Book

Emma Stonex has delivered a real puzzle box of a story with The Lamplighters . She tantalizes us with allusions to greater reveals, subtly peppering the many narratives with hints and clues, drawing out each thread until it’s taut enough to snap. The answer to the central mystery—what happened to the lighthouse keepers?—is revealed only when the secrets of each man’s life finally intersect. Part of the problem in my humble opinion is that it tries to be a bit of everything. A lot of the writing is truly beautiful the descriptions of the sea, are incredibly emotive. I also found the insights into the lives of the men, captivating and interesting. Unfortunately, part of what made this so wonderfully descriptive is also its downfall. I personally found there was just too many words, far more than were necessary. I’m sure others will love this book but for me it was a little disappointing. Each of the characters was broken in some way, which just added to feel of this book following on the same trend of cliched mystery novels of recent years. This was not unlike a Ruth Ware novel. BUT-if you are intrigued by this real bit of history and would like to read this author’s idea of what might have occurred-this story is fascinating, though a bit DRY in its story telling style. The wives who should’ve have bonded together over this incident are estranged and only one is talking.A female Bildungsroman, The Lamplighter tells the story of Gertrude Flint, an abandoned and mistreated orphan rescued at the age of eight by Trueman Flint, a lamplighter, from her abusive guardian, Nan Grant. [1] Gertrude is lovingly raised and taught virtues and religious faith. She becomes a moralistic woman. In adulthood, she is rewarded for her long suffering with marriage to a childhood friend.