Light

'Elphinstone is a worthy successor to writers like Linklater and Mackay Brown, developing themes in the new century with a voice which is distinctly her own.' Herald 'The heart of this novel is a place described so finely and beguilingly that everyone who reads it will want to go to Ellan Bride.'Helen Dunmore, The TimesMay, 1831. On a tiny island off the Isle of Man, the lighthouse is manned by an unusual family. Lucy and Diya are husbandless, with three children between them, and life is already harsh. Now their very livelihood is under threat, for Scottish engineer Robert Stevenson is modernising the nation's lighthouses. When two surveyors arrive toassess the Ellan Bride light, tension escalates to danger point . . .'Elphinstone's sense of place, time and atmosphere makes for eerie reading and gives the novel an impressive authenticity . . . breathtaking.'Scotland on Sunday'Hugely inventive . . . Exuberantly clever.'Independent'A rattling good read.'Sunday Herald May, 1831, and on a tiny island off the Isle of Man a lighthouse provides a harsh living for an unusual family. Lucy and Diya, husbandless and with three children between them, watch over the ancient light on Ellan Bride. Meanwhile the Scottish engineer, Robert Stevenson, is modernising the nation's lighthouses, and Ellan Bride and the future of the family, are under threat. When two surveyors arrive to assess the light, tension escalates to danger point.