Member Review

The strength of this book is in its writing. It is evocative, and both timelines have an oppressive atmosphere of something that hovers throughout the tale. I think I expected more from the ending than I ultimately got, which is the reason for my final rating.
I think most people will better appreciate this book than I did for several reasons. As I mentioned earlier, the writing brings both timelines to life in different ways. The present timeline is in 2014, I guess, in order to make the past and the present meet in a more appropriate fashion.
In 2014 we have a woman who is searching for a particular wreck, floundering for funding. A mysterious benefactor seeks her out by name and asks her to find a missing lighthouse. In the past timeline, we have the lighthouse still standing, and we move back and forth in that timeline to learn the history of the lighthouse.
There are powerful families who once lived in the small town, each with their own stake in the progress and change that visited the area. Now, in 2014, a few names are still living in the area but are not well versed in the events that led to an entire lighthouse being lost to history.
There are several characters that make up the entire narrative, and each with their own role to play.
Although this had all the pieces that usually work for me, and I read it in a few sittings, I wanted something more from the present timeline. The past felt deeper and more meaningful, and although the tie-up made sense, I was hoping for something more (mostly because of the writing!).
I would recommend this to fans of dual-timeline narratives. I would love to pick up another of the author's works.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.