“Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth’s eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family—a past that suddenly becomes all too present when her late father’s journals are found amid the ruins of an old shipwreck.”
Elizabeth’s past is both painful and heartbreaking, with many questions that she never got answers to while growing up on Porphyry Island on Lake Superior. The discovery of her late father’s journals may possibly bring answers and closure to some difficult chapters in her life. Around the time the journals make their way back into her life, she meets Morgan, a teenage girl doing community service at Elizabeth’s retirement home. The two strike up a rapport and Morgan takes up the task of reading the journal entries to Elizabeth, which leads to the uncovering of long buried secrets and an unexpected connection between Morgan and Elizabeth.
The Lightkeeper’s Daughters is told from the perspectives of both Elizabeth and Morgan. We slowly learn about the past of each character, but the majority of the novel is Elizabeth recounting her life on Porphyry Island with her twin sister, two brothers, and parents. It took me a little while to get into the story, but once it came to Elizabeth’s flashbacks I was completely immersed in the events that unfolded. The environment and solitude of the island is really well portrayed and it is easy to imagine the lives and challenges faced by the family. There is a mystery aspect to the novel that carries the story forward and adds to the overall intrigue. A lot is unveiled towards the end, and while it is interesting I couldn’t help but feel it was a bit overly complicated, and as a result lacked the punch of a good reveal. The premise, setting, and descriptions are well done and there is a lot to be enjoyed with this novel, although the resolution and conclusion ultimately felt unsatisfying and unnecessarily intricate.
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