Lighthouses haven’t been awarded the best reputation in literature. After all, they’re often isolated, lonely places where people can experience all sorts of un-pleasantries and perils. However, they also serve a very important purpose and in honor of National Lighthouse Day, we’re going to look at five books with and about lighthouses that have either spooked or inspired readers galore.
5. to the lighthouse– virginia woolf
Lighting up first on our list is the famous and highly respected novel by British writer Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse. It documents the Ramsay family’s visits to the Isle of Skye in Scotland between 1910 and 1920. It was a pioneer in modernist literary techniques, seen in its use of stream-of-consciousness narration and lack of action and dialogue. It has enraptured readers since its publication thanks to its innovations, and rightfully deserves a spot on this list.
4. the lighthouse– p.d. james
Poet and police detective Adam Dalgliesh returns in the thirteenth book in James’ Adam Dalgliesh mystery series. The Lighthouse finds Dalgliesh investigating a famous writer’s death on a remote island off the Cornish coast. With a slew of engaging and exciting characters, this novel proves itself as a wild mystery on an island adorned by a massive haunting lighthouse.
3. pharos: a ghost story– Alice Thompson
This eerie and haunting novel, set in the early 1800’s, tells the story of a young woman who washes up on a remote, mysterious island with no memory of herself or her life. She is taken in by the lighthouse keeper and his assistant, who clothe and care for her. But this woman and this island are not what they seem, and the dream-like style of Thompson’s prose make this an unsettling and creepy read that is not for the feint of heart.
2. the lighthouse– edgar allen poe
While this entry is an unfinished short story, rather than a fully realized novel, I felt it deserved a spot on this list thanks to the impact that it has had on future writers and artists that read it. Presented as a series of log entries, the lighthouse keeper charts the first few days of being stationed on a new lighthouse. Since it was likely the last fiction that Poe wrote before his death in 1849, it is largely unfinished but offers scholars a glimpse into Poe’s shifting writing style that he may have expanded upon had he survived. This story fragment is the inspiration for Roger Egger’s movie The Lighthouse which began as an attempted adaptation of this text.
1. the lighthouse– alison moore
Futh, the main character in this Booker-shortlisted novel, is journeying around Europe on a variety of boats searching for himself. He carries around a small, white lighthouse that contains perfume that belonged to his mother. Thus, the lighthouse is still used as a symbol of home; of safety. Futh’s journey is both internal and external, and will lead to potentially dark, dangerous places.