1927: When Fred Lawson takes a summer job on St Kilda, little does he realise that he has joined the last community to ever live on that beautiful, isolated island. Only three years later, St Kilda will be evacuated, the islanders near dead from starvation. But for Fred, memories of that summer - and the island woman, Chrissie, with whom he falls in love - will never leave him.
1940: Fred has been captured behind enemy lines in France and finds himself in a prisoner-of-war camp. Beaten and exhausted, his thoughts return to the island of his youth and the woman he loved and lost. When Fred makes his daring escape, prompting a desperate journey across occupied territory, he is sustained by one thought only: finding his way back to Chrissie.
The Lost Lights of St Kilda is a sweeping love story that crosses oceans and decades. It is a moving and deeply vivid portrait of two lovers, a desolate island and the extraordinary power of hope in the face of darkness.
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Five days in darkness deep as a pit and my mind begins to play tricks. CHAPTER 1, FRED, TOURNAI PRISON, 1940
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(@CorvusBooks, 5 March 2020, 272 pages, ebook, borrowed from @GlasgowLib via @OverDriveLibs)
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The author has been on my TBR list since I listened to the audiobook of Secrets of the Sea House a while ago. I really enjoyed this though not quite as much as Sea House. I'm reading a lot more historical fiction recently and this is an example of how rich and enjoyable the setting can be. First off, I loved the setting, the remote Scottish island of St Kilda; the author does a brilliant job of bringing the island, community and way of life to life. A sense of place can be found throughout the book. I liked the fact the book moves back and forth in time gradually developing Chrissie and Fred's romance and the lie that tears them apart. I rooted for them all the way through. The characters are so fresh and alive. This was a pleasure to read.
