The Lamplighters

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I mean, honestly! I’m sure you’d prefer that, but I’m afraid it’s all ridiculous. We’re not in your world now, we’re in mine; and this isn’t a thriller, it’s my life.” I also find it unrealistic in a story that everyone is unhappy, unfaithful, loves another, doesn’t love the one they’re with, loves the one they’re with but they love another, grieving for a loved one… literally everyone was unhappy. Also the culmination saw three people considering murder at the same time, is that likely? I also felt the end, not only with its supernatural element seemed unlikely, surely they would have hit the base of the lighthouse rather than the sea? It was also unrealistic that blood and a struggle could have been totally cleaned up, forensics would have found evidence. How sad the only planted evidence they found pointed to the innocent person. Sometimes I write a review; sometimes I don't. I am a prolific reader, meaning at least a couple books daily - depending on the breadth and depth of the individual work. The personification of the sea and the lighthouse is sensationally authoritative and compelling, with the corporeal imagery, mesmerising in its detail, transposing the written word into a movie. The ocean’s changing temperament, reflective of the human mind and soul, depicts the all-powerful injurious Poseidon; it's paradoxical, melancholic, dramatic beauty at variance with its malevolence. Correspondingly, the ‘Maiden’ with its alluring magnetism is transformed into a 20th century ‘Siren’ of the sea. Do its circular walls represent a cocoon or a writhing python intent on devouring its prey?

This book appealed to me because I LOVE atmospheric stories, and a bit of Supernatural. The mystery of what might have occurred was intriguing. I mean, honestly! I’m sure you’d prefer that, but I’m afraid it’s all ridiculous. We’re not in your world now, we’re in mine; and this isn’t a thriller, it’s my life.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. I hesitated to write a review of this novel because, well, in all honesty, I think I'm too inarticulate to put my reaction to this author's writing into words. Please forgive me while I try to explain why this novel is one of two books I have read this year and rated a full five stars. Note: Be advised that there are spoilers ahead, so be entirely sure you want to continue reading. The Lamplighters Ending Explained My process has always been to show up to the work every day. Beyond that, everything is subject to change. But having the discipline to sit down with my novel, even if I don’t feel like it, even if it’s only for fifteen minutes, even if I’ve got a million other things going on, is what keeps me going. Otherwise, the book starts to feel intimidating, and once that happens it can be hard to take control of again. I need to show it who’s boss and remind it that I’m in charge – even if I don’t feel like I am. I was more interested in solving the mystery than the thoughts or feelings of the women left behind as I generally prefer to read crime novels than family dramas. This book crosses genres and can therefore have broad appeal to different audiences.

I found it fascinating that The Lamplighters was inspired by the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers off the Hebrides in 1900. Could you tell us a little bit more about this incident? And what was it about this story that inspired you to write your novel? Have you always been interested in the sea and lighthouses? The narrative I would describe as a little strange, the perspective of the three women tends towards 'stream of consciousness' where we get a mix of history, opinion and perception drip-fed to us the reader to generate the mystery. In these moments there isn't a lot of grounding prose, dialogue is rarely captioned, and descriptions are heavily in the POV of the character. The impossibility of knowing a person fully is also a theme. Do I know what this man or woman I love is truly capable of? Is there a darker side? Perhaps even tending toward violence? Does solitude exacerbate untoward symptoms of dysfunction? Will loneliness and the absence of communication send grief spiraling toward a violent destination? These are all questions that Stones explores, probing the behavior of people who don’t understand their frailties, their absolute limits. PS. While I don’t expect a lighthouse keeper to be an expert in marine biology, you’d think someone raised by the ocean would know better than to say this:

The unsolved mystery of the disappearance of Eilean More’s three lighthouse keepers in 1900 remains one of history’s most intriguing puzzles: what happened to the men, and how do you explain the strange coincidences that defy a logical explanation? Emma Stonex has run with the idea to create her latest novel and is ready to offer a plausible theory. Even though her story is set in Cornwall in the 1970’s and features fictional characters, it bears a lot of resemblance to the Flannan Isles mystery. 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.” Helen mentions that they try their best to make a difference, to keep the lights shining in the darkness. This sentiment encompasses both the literal lighthouses and the figurative light that people try to bring into each other’s lives.

In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the ending of The Lamplighters and explain what really happened to the three men. We will examine the various clues and hints throughout the book that point to the truth and offer our own interpretation of the ending. of any struggle or unusual occurrence. The only detail suggesting a hurried abandonment of the lighthouse, was In 1900 three lighthouse keepers disappeared from the Eilean Mor lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides. They were never found and there has been no explanation for their vanishing. In a well constructed novel, Emma Stonex reimagines this event by transposing the time to 1972 and the location to the rugged coast of Cornwall.The result is a multi layered novel that fuses atmosphere and mystery with personal and societal psychology. Yes, I’d agree with that interpretation. It’s something I did want to explore while writing. The novel is told from multiple first-person perspectives to heighten the sense of apartness and miscommunication: much of the sadness in the story could have been avoided if those involved had spoken transparently. Ultimately, The Lamplighters’ characters stand in isolation from each other, as do the sea towers. The emphasis is on the importance of lighting the light, reaching out, and guiding those we love home. 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.Could you tell our readers a little bit about the name, The Lamplighters – where did this name come from and how did you decide on it as the title for your novel? Dan shares his manuscript with Helen, revealing that he had written a book about the disappearance and the impact it had on Mortehaven. As they talk, Helen reflects on the mystery of the disappearance and the different perspectives it holds. They both understand that the truth may never be known, and they accept that some mysteries are not meant to be solved. What happened to those three men, out on the tower? The heavy sea whispers their names. The tide shifts beneath the swell, drowning ghosts. Can their secrets ever be recovered from the waves?