Outback Western Australia, 1958.

For generations, the MacBrides have lived on a remote sheep station, Meredith Downs. A million arid acres, it’s an ocean of land, where the weather is a capricious god, and time still roams untamed.

One ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. Instead of leaving wounds to heal, Fate comes for them yet again, in a twist of consequences that will cause one of them to lose their life, and another to sacrifice theirs for the sake of an innocent child.

Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide, as he is forced to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and happiness.

A sweeping novel of family and belonging, of compassion and hope, A Far-flung Life is the epic novel about people trying to do their best, each seeking shelter from the storm of life – and a powerful testament to the enduring strength of love.

OVER FOUR MILLION COPIES SOLD The No. 1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller - a heart-rending story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who face a life-changing moral dilemma. 'Unforgettable' GUARDIAN ____________________ A boat washes up on the shore of a remote lighthouse keeper's island. It holds a dead man - and a crying baby. The only two islanders, Tom and his wife Izzy, are about to make a devastating decision. They break the rules and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours. ____________________ PRAISE FOR M L STEDMAN: 'Irresistible . . . a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page' Oprah Magazine 'A moving tale . . . prepare to weep' New York Times 'A love story that is both persuasive and tender' Sunday Times WHAT READERS ARE SAYING: ***** 'A beautiful, poignant story, very well told' ***** 'By far, one of the best books I've ever read' ***** 'A stunning and enjoyable read, one you won't forget' Now a major motion picture starring Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender and Rachel Weisz

This months-long New York Times bestseller is "irresistible...seductive...with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page," (O, The Oprah Magazine).
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day's journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby's cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a "gift from God," and against Tom's judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

The debut of a stunning new voice in fiction-- a novel both heartbreaking and transcendent
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day's journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby's cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom's judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
M. L. Stedman's mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel's decision to keep this "gift from God." And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another's tragic loss.
"The Light Between Oceans "is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.