At first glance, you might assume that The Lamplighters is a novel about stoic, lonely men smoking pipes and sharing tins of soup in the middle of the ocean. But it is just as much about the women and families these men leave behind when they depart for their lighthouse shifts. There are secrets untold, emotions hidden, and the unhappiness that festers when one feels trapped. The novel moves quickly in brief chapters that jump in time and create a haunting feeling—one both dreamlike and tragic.