Women pushing the boundaries of convention – The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

Grace Darling was born in 1815 and rose to fame in 1838 for her part in the rescue of passengers on the SS Forfarshire, a ship that foundered on the rocks of Longstone Island. In The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, Hazel Gaynor brings shy, unassuming Grace vividly to life and speculates on a possible romantic storyline for this reluctant heroine. Along with Grace’s 1838 storyline, there is also the story of Matilda, one hundred years later, connected to Grace by a locket she wears, and finding answers to her own struggles in a different lighthouse on the other side of the Atlantic, on Rhode Island.

Gaynor first learned about Grace Darling in primary school and was captivated by her life in a lighthouse, but it wasn’t until she found an antique book about Grace in a second-hand bookshop that this story began to take shape. “Quite early in my research,” she explains, “I read a footnote in a non-fiction account of Grace’s life which mentioned a local artist, George Emmerson, with whom it was believed Grace formed a romantic relationship after he visited the lighthouse to paint her portrait. Grace Darling in love? Now there was a story to tell! Nobody is absolutely certain who this George was, so I imagined how a connection between them might have developed among the confines of the lighthouse walls. Their relationship, and George’s life, are entirely fictional in the context of the novel. For me, this was a tantalizing untold side of Grace’s story and lifted her from the one-dimensional classic Victorian heroine we usually read about. Grace was a young woman with feelings and desires. I wanted to explore her emotional state through this period in her life, and how her sense of duty to her family and the lighthouse might have caused conflict with her more heartfelt desires.”

With her fictional character George, Gaynor also brings to life George’s sister, Sarah, a passenger on the SS Forfarshire who survives but suffers terrible personal loss in the disaster. In Sarah’s story, Gaynor explores the powerful forces of love, motherhood and bereavement, themes that are mirrored in the other narrative in the novel, set in 1938. “In researching Grace Darling, I was surprised to discover the fascinating history of America’s female lighthouse keepers. One light keeper in particular, Ida Lewis, stood out to me. She kept Lime Rock light in Newport Harbour and became known as America’s Grace Darling. This extraordinary connection between two women, a continent apart, led to part of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter taking place in Newport, Rhode Island. I read more widely about the generations of women who kept the lights in America and their collective stories inspired my character, Harriet Flaherty, and the narrative set in 1938. Although Grace was the first spark of inspiration for the novel, Harriet was a really interesting character to write. Tough, and yet vulnerable; struggling with her demons and affected by the automation of the lights in pre-war America, she represents a long line of strong women whose stories have not been widely told. Through Grace and Sarah, Matilda and Harriet, I hope to have given them a voice.”

author photo by Deasy Photographic

The women of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter are all distinctive characters. Like Grace Darling, they are quietly brave and resolute, particularly when faced with situations that are not of their own choosing. “At its core,” says Gaynor, “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter is a novel about strong women defying convention and pushing the boundaries of society’s limitations in two distinct periods of history. In 1838 and 1938, the role of women was often confined to that of dutiful daughter or of mother/wife/home-keeper and I wanted to explore the experience of women who pushed against those expectations. All four women in the book are somewhat unconventional in those roles, especially Matilda, who has to come to terms with her ‘delicate situation’ in an unforgiving Ireland and with an unsupportive mother; and Harriet, who is haunted by the events and decisions that have shaped her life.”

Research played an important role in the novel’s development and informs all aspects big and small. The locket, for example, which passes from Sarah to Matilda, came about as a result of Gaynor’s research into the lives of lighthouse keepers.  “…it was very evident,” she explains, “that this wasn’t considered a job, but rather a way of life. The position was proudly handed down through the generations, passing from one member of the family to the next. This led to the generational connections across the decades in the novel. The locket that connects the 1938 and 1838 timelines symbolises the sense of keeping those we love close to us, but also represents the sense of confinement the women in the novel experience, either by duty or societal expectations. Of course, keepsakes were also very important to the Victorians. A lock of hair or a portrait were treasured love tokens, often passed down to family members. It is that sense of legacy, of connection to our ancestors that I also wanted to explore in the novel.”

She also explored lighthouses and her enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. “I’m always keen to immerse myself fully in the subject I’m writing about,” she says, “and took the family to stay in Wicklow Head lighthouse in Ireland. It was the perfect way for me to understand what it must have been like to live in a lighthouse. The views, the silence, the privacy – we all loved it! We also travelled to the Farne Islands to visit Longstone Island and Grace’s lighthouse home. It was so poignant to step into her bedroom and climb the steps to the lantern room and walk along the rocks and beaches where Grace spent her life. It’s a real privilege to be able to walk a little in your character’s shoes. I also spent time in Newport, Rhode Island to get a feel for the geography, history and atmosphere of the town. To say I’ve been bewitched by lighthouses would be an understatement!”

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter was released by William Morrow in October 2018.

About the contributor: Kate Braithwaite is the author of the historical novels Charlatan and The Road to Newgate. The Girl Puzzle will be released by Crooked Cat Books in 2019.