The Lighthouse by Alison Moore

I found this a dark sad tale.  The loneliness seeps from the book.  The story opens with Futh as he sets out on a ferry for Germany.  He is newly separated from his wife and is taking a restorative walking holiday in Germany.  Futh is awkward and not good at handling emotions or social situations.  As he walks he contemplates.  He remembers his childhood, his mother, father and wife.  The book is permeated with smells and these act as triggers for Futh’s memory.  Interspersed with Futh’s narrative we hear Ester, another lonely person looking for affection.  Their paths cross when Futh spends the first night of his walking holiday at Hellhaus, the hotel Ester runs with her husband Bernard.  Their paths cross again at the end of the book.  It is a short read at 182 pages.  I enjoyed it and found it a thought provoking read.