At the edge of Chicago, nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, there is a waystation for the dead. Every night, the newly-departed travel through the city to the Station, guided by its lighthouse. There, they reckon with their lives, before stepping aboard a boat to go beyond.

Nera has spent decades watching her father―the ferryman of the dead―sail across the lake, each night just like the last.

But tonight, something is wrong.

The Station’s lighthouse has started to flicker out. The terrifying, ghostly Haunts have multiplied in the city. And now a person―a living person―has found her way onto the boat.

Her name is Charlie. She followed a song. And she is searching for someone she lost.

The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J.R. Dawson is a joyful and hopeful exploration of life and death and the grief we feel when we lose someone we love. “We are all more than grief”. That line stays with me as I read this story about a living person who finds her way into the land of death. Charlie’s grief compels her forward but as Nera interacts with her, she finds herself coming alive. She also sees just how much her father’s grief has kept him in one place. 

I love the way the novel explores grief, explores memories and how we honor the dead but also move past death into the land of the living. The story is captivating as it explores loss and love of all kinds. I also appreciated that if we don’t let go, we risk holding onto that loss and pain and never letting our loved ones move on to where they belong. The ending was beautiful, especially as it shows an interpretation of what could be beyond death for us all. 

If you love haunting stories of loss and death that still have a joyful and hopeful message, this fantasy The Lighthouse as the Edge of the World is perfect. The characters are complex, the story is hopeful and I love the exploration of death and life, what lies beyond death for us. This is a profound story that has a beautiful ending. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 dogs. 

MacMillan Publishing

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