The Lightkeeper's Daughters: A Novel

The Instant International Bestseller

Winner of the 2018 Northern Lit Award and Shortlisted for the HWA Crown Award

“Jean Pendziwol’s beautifully written novel captured me from the very first page. Its descriptions of the windswept lightkeeper’s station of Elizabeth’s and Emily’s youth are so crisply rendered I felt I was standing on its shores watching the great ships cross the stormy waters of Lake Superior. Even more than its vivid evocation of a unique time and place, The Lightkeeper's Daughters is a sensitive and moving examination of the nature of identity, the importance of family, and the possibility of second chances." —Heather Young, author of The Lost Girls

The Light Between Oceans meets The Language of Flowers in this compelling debut novel by critically acclaimed children’s author Jean E. Pendziwol.

Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth's eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family—a past that suddenly becomes all too present when her late father's journals are found amid the ruins of an old shipwreck.

With the help of Morgan, a delinquent teenage performing community service, Elizabeth goes through the diaries, a journey through time that brings the two women closer together. Entry by entry, these unlikely friends are drawn deep into a world far removed from their own—to Porphyry Island on Lake Superior, where Elizabeth’s father manned the lighthouse seventy years before.

As the words on these musty pages come alive, Elizabeth and Morgan begin to realize that their fates are connected to the isolated island in ways they never dreamed. While the discovery of Morgan's connection sheds light onto her own family mysteries, the faded pages of the journals hold more questions than answers for Elizabeth, and threaten the very core of who she is.

In her mesmerizing adult debut set on the shores of the Great Lakes, critically acclaimed children’s author Jean E. Pendziwol delivers an affecting story of family, identity, and art involving a decades-old mystery.

Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth’s bones have aged and her eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills her days at the retirement home with music and with memories of her family, especially of her beloved twin sister, Emily. When her late father’s journals are discovered after a tragic accident, she seizes the opportunity to piece together the mysteries of her childhood. 

With the help of Morgan, a delinquent teenager performing community service at the home, Elizabeth delves into the diaries—a journey through time that brings the two women closer together. Each entry draws these unlikely friends deep into a world far removed—to Porphyry Island on Lake Superior, where Elizabeth’s father served as lighthouse keeper and raised his young family in the years before and during World War II. 

As a complex web of secrets unravels, Elizabeth and Morgan realize that their fates are connected to each other and to the isolated island in ways that are at once heartbreaking and healing.

Both sweeping and intimate, The Lightkeeper’s Daughters takes readers on an enthralling journey to an unforgettable place.

“Captured me from the very first page.... Crisply rendered.... A sensitive and moving examination of the nature of identity, the importance of family, and the possibility of second chances.” - Heather Young, author of The Lost Girls

“In her first foray into adult fiction, Pendziwol (Once upon a Northern Night, 2013, etc.) has created an intricately satisfying story about love and deception that manages to be both melancholy and exhilarating. A haunting tale of nostalgia and lost chances that is full of last-minute surprises.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A perfect hammock read for those who love the Brontë sisters and Jodi Picoult in equal measure.” - Publishers Weekly

“This atmospheric novel tells an intricate story about familial love and deception. . . . VERDICT: Fans of Heather Young and Jojo Moyes might want to look into Jean Pendziwol this summer.” - Library Journal

“An elderly woman and a delinquent teen form an unlikely bond as they uncover the journal entries of a man who oversaw a remote Lake Superior lighthouse nearly a century before.” - Coastal Living, “50 Best Books for the Beach This Summer”

“An elegant adult fiction debut.” - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

A remarkable achievement . . . a story of commitment, identity, and familial loyalty that will leave one in tears. Five out of five stars.” - New York Journal of Books

“Deeply satisfying.... With strong characters and rich in historical details, The Lightkeeper’s Daughters looks carefully at love and identity and the things we do to keep them both safe.” - Booklist

“Seamlessly weaves between past and present. . . . I loved this story! From the characters to the setting, each aspect is perfect. THE LIGHTKEEPER’S DAUGHTERS is one of the best books that I’ve read this year. . . . beautifully written.” - Fresh Fiction

“If you loved The Light Between Oceans, check out The Lightkeeper’s Daughters.” - BookBub