The Light Between Oceans is a 2012 Australian historical fiction novel by M. L. Stedman, her debut novel, published by Random House Australia on 20 March 2012.

[2] Thomas "Tom" Sherbourne returns home to Eastern Australia after fighting in the Western Front trenches of World War I with the First Australian Imperial Force.

He left physically unscathed and with several decorations, but he suffers from nightmares and survivor guilt and seeks a quiet, remote job.

As Tom begins his shift on Janus Rock, he finds comfort in the regulated structure and simple life of a keeper.

The couple are happy together on the island for some time; however, their efforts to have a child result in two miscarriages and a stillbirth, leaving them, especially Isabel, frustrated and on edge.

Just before, they hear the story of Hannah Potts, a woman from a well-off local family, who married an Austrian, Frank Roennfeldt, which caused them to be ostracized by the town.

On Anzac Day in 1926, a drunken mob harassed and chased them, causing Frank to flee on a boat with their infant daughter Grace, and they were never heard from again.

[3] Sue Arnold writing for The Guardian called it "an extraordinary book" comparing the plot to Thomas Hardy's works.

[5] The Sydney Morning Herald noted that it "is a work of such quality, insight and intrigue, it prompted an international bidding war among publishers", and called it "A remarkable, very readable, debut.

[18] Writer/director Joseph Nobile alleged that Margot Louise Watts, a/k/a M. L. Stedman,[19] knowingly and willfully copied, plagiarized, pirated and misappropriated expressive content from his screenplay entitled The Rootcutter, subsequently re-titled A Tale of Two Humans, originally copyrighted in 2001.