The Light Between Oceans

The opening of Part Two returns to the day of the dinghy’s arrival to the island. Isabel tends to the graves of the three babies she has lost, one of whom was stillborn just two weeks prior, when Isabel was seven months pregnant.

Now, with the shipwrecked infant in her arms, Isabel easily shifts into motherhood, soothing, bathing and dressing her. She is overwhelmed with feelings: awe, amusement, reverence, and the pain of her own losses.

By law, Tom is required to record every occurrence on Janus in his logbook. After the chaos of war, Tom finds comfort in faithfully writing down the facts of every incident. Therefore, he grows uneasy at Isabel’s request to wait a day before recording the incident of the baby’s arrival.

His uneasiness grows as Isabel begins breastfeeding the child and names her “Lucy,” a name that means light. A sense of foreboding enters into Tom’s psyche as his anxiety over Isabel’s growing attachment to the baby intensifies.

The next morning, when Tom is supposed to report the incident, Isabel calmly suggests that they keep Lucy and tell visitors that she is the child they had lost weeks before. Isabel suggests that they not report the dead man either, to avoid questions.