There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
By David M. Barnett
Today is my stop on the Compulsive Readers / Orion blog tour boat for: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. It is good for fans of Rachel Joyce and Mike Gayle and has interesting concepts. Find out more in the blog and then my thoughts in my review below.
Blurb
How do you find love . . . when you have the loneliest job in the world?
This is the story of Gayle and Martin, who fall in love over the course of ten years- over a yearly visit to a tiny, isolated island off the Welsh coast.
Gayle is a teacher and each year she brings her class to the island to see the local flora and fauna, from sea birds to playful seals. Martin, the island’s caretaker and only human resident, lives in and maintains the lighthouse, which opens to the public for just this one day a year.
Gayle is effervescent but feels trapped, while Martin is lonely and isolated. As their love slowly builds over time, they both yearn for the annual field trip where they can finally see each other… Until one year Gayle doesn’t come back, and Martin has to leave his island hideaway to find her.
A romantic, tender love story, perfect for fans of Mike Gayle and Rachel Joyce.
Review
It’s often interesting when there is a quote in a book from another book or a saying etc. This one starts with one from Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens. It suddenly sets the scene and a certain atmosphere that’s captured about a lighthouse.
Ynys Dwynwen, pronounced Een-Niss Doyn-Winn is a remote island, just off the Welsh coast, which “chooses its residents”. As George Benson leaves, Martin and Gayle arrive a year on, this is where the chapters are split between Martin and Gayle’s point of view and interestingly, each one has a date.
Martin. He was one of life’s greatest drifters when on the mainland and getting in, not exactly everyday situations and is drawn to the island and becomes the lighthouse keeper, a rather isolating life. This is what he wants though, when he answers an ad. He doesn’t think of life as being fun or that you need people. It is interesting to see whether this concept works for him or whether his perceptions alter.
Gayle is living more the high-life in comparison to Martin in that it’s more lively and she has her teaching job, which she loves when the annual trip comes around to the island and gets to know Martin. She also has best friend, Donna who you also track her life and exciting career.
These two main protagonists knew each other, loved each other, until they broke up. He retreated and she moved on. It’s what happens next that’s intriguing.
Readers follow these main characters over a decade, which in itself is an interesting concept. It’s a slow burn, but you truly get to know the characters over the time span. It’s perhaps a bit too slow at times, but then, there are many parts where it picks up, but it is beautifully written and always atmospheric and scenic, in all its parts that split it up into the years, creating a decade. Throughout this time, there are some unexpected twists and revelations that propel it along and creates intrigue, in what, at times can also be tender and rather moving, with the occasional light touch of humour.
Bookmarks and Stages by Lou 