A Lesser Light
A Lesser Light takes place in a lighthouse on the remote shores of northern Lake Superior in 1910. At the beginning of the story, newly-appointed head lighthouse keeper Theodulf Sauer greets his new wife, Willa Brandt, who has been forced into marriage after her father’s untimely death.
As Halley’s Comet streaks across the northern skies, Theodulf and Willa struggle to begin their lives together. They are mismatched, not only because of their age difference but because both are essentially loners. Theodulf, the only child of a prominent Duluth family, and a failed lawyer with an agonizing secret, struggles to redeem himself by flawlessly executing his keeper duties. Willa tries to adjust herself to the remote surroundings and seemingly endless household chores and to reconcile herself to the loss of her greatest love, her study of astronomy. As the story progresses, we see that Theodulf and Willa are orphans, no less than 13-year-old Silje, whose parents were lost at sea, and Silje’s Uncle Mats, who is grieving their loss. Still, the desire of these characters to be part of something—a piece of some larger whole—is palpable.
Much of the action of the story takes place between the spring and fall of 1910, but Geye shows us that the real story—the thing that led these characters to that lonely lighthouse—was set in motion long before. Through his stunningly beautiful writing, we see the wildness of this place and these people, and the desperate and determined way the characters keep reaching toward each other. Through it all, love shines like a brilliant Fresnel lens, warning people away from the rocks and guiding their way home.
