Cornwall, 1972. Three keepers vanish from a remote lighthouse, miles from the shore. The entrance door is locked from the inside. The clocks have stopped. The tale is set for a meal left uneaten.

What happened to those three men, out on the tower?
Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?

Twenty years later, a writer approaches the women they left behind, determined to solve the puzzle. Helen, Jenny and Michelle should have been united by the tragedy; instead, it drove them apart. But only in confronting their darkest fears can the truth begin to surface…

From the back cover of ‘The Lamplighters’.

February half term we travelled down to Cornwall for a few days. It is always a pleasure to visit and we have been there many times over the years. Like so many others I feel a connection with Cornwall. Through childhood holidays, to visits as an adult…and of course the many times I have visited through the pages of a book. Other the last thirty years I have visited several times a year with my husband (and for the last 16 years my son) to visit my mother-in-law in North Cornwall. We have also had the odd stay in a holiday cottage which has given us the opportunity to explore different areas and swim in a different part of the coastline. My mother-in-law is now moving closer to our home in Sussex, which is wonderful, but I will miss our regular visits and my Cornish escapes. Just think of all the new parts of Cornwall we will now discover when we do return though!

On my visits I always like to visit independent bookshops in the area. We have been to Wadebridge Bookshop many times and they always a well stocked section of books either set in or about Cornwall. Of course there is plenty of Daphne Du Maurier and Liz Fenwick, both of whom I love to read, but it is always lovely to discover new authors. On my recent visit the bright red cover with scatterings of gold foil drew me to pick up a copy of The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex. This is Emma’s debut novel and was first published by Picador in 2021. She has also written many others under a pseudonym but this is the story that she felt was hers and should hold her real name.

There is a fascinating interview with Emma on Bookbrunch where she talks about her writing journey in more detail and the inspiration behind The Lamplighters.

As soon as I read about the Flannan Isles vanishing, that was it. The sea slipped into my bones. The majesty and melancholy of lighthouses spoke to me in a way that nothing else did – especially the great tower lights, those grey, salt-slapped monuments rising audaciously up out of the water. I was captivated by the strange seams of human psychology that drew a man away from his home, his family, the land beneath his feet, for a sanctuary in the middle of the sea.

Emma Stonex – https://www.bookbrunch.co.uk/page/free-article/the-sea-in-my-bones/

My thoughts…

This was a beautiful and captivating story. Exploring themes of loss and what it can do to you, as well as how the thoughts of a person can be as deep and as unfathomable as the sea. We can never really understand what goes on in another persons head. We can never truly know them.

At it’s heart there is a mystery – apparently inspired by true events – but Emma also cleverly explores the effects of living with trauma and the ghosts that follow us around as we try to navigate live after loss. There is very much a psychological aspect to the story. Not all the characters are quite as they seem and we come to know them better as events unfold. Trust. It seems vital when working and living in close proximity and it is something that we can feel slipping away, and with that comes great danger.

The story itself switches from 1972 to 1992. We see events as they happen and also as buried memories which some would rather remained untold. But sometimes stories have a way of finding the light again.

‘You said it was funny to think that your light could be seen miles away, but that was the thing about light, I said, you don’t need a lot of it. The other way round, a sliver of dark in a sunny garden, you’d never spot it, the light’s stronger and quicker and the eye goes looking for it.’

The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex

The Lamplighters was a highly enjoyable read. There are elements of unease that linger through the pages; the tension is well-paced, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Whether I liked them all is a different matter, but it was interesting to hear their story. The cover of this book pulled me towards it, but it kept me enthralled throughout. A highly enjoyable read, and I hope to read more from Emma Stonex; definitely an author to watch.

The Lamplighters is published by Picador (part of Pan Macmillan) and is available in hardback, paperback, kindle and audiobook.

The isbn for the paperback edition is: 9781529047356.

Thank you for visiting Tales Before Bedtime today. I do hope you come back again soon.