ERNEST Hemingway once took up a challenge to write a short story in six words.

He wrote: 'For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.' He considered it to be some of his best work, probably because you could literally spend hours speculating about why the shoes were never worn. Maybe it is the subject matter of a baby and inferred possible loss thereof, that pulls at our heartstrings.

It is no coincidence then that the global bestseller, The Light Between Oceans, given its subject matter, is one of the most successful Australian novels of recent years. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by London-based Australian author, M. L. Stedman, the film will be the next title screening in The Spineless Social Club series, presented by Bundaberg Regional Libraries and the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre.

The storyline for both book and film are similar obviously, with marginal difference along the way that in no way affect the actual storyline. The characters break the rules and follow their hearts. What happens will break yours.

The highly anticipated film stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weiss. You may recognise the lead roles of Fassbender, who starred as Magneto in X-Men: First Class, and earlier in the television series Band of Brothers. Vikander, a relative newcomer to film, will be well remembered from her role in The Danish Girl. Keep your eyes peeled for the Aussies Jack Thompson, Garry McDonald, Bryan Brown and Leon Ford, amongst others.

Filmed on a remote, windswept stretch of the New Zealand coast, The Light Between Oceans was always going to be a perfect stage for a certain kind of romance. Case in point: the film's two stars Fassbender and Vikander actually fell in love with each other during the making of the film.

Across the board, reception to the film has been positive. Set just after the First World War, the film follows the story of Tom Sherbourne (Fassbender) who returns to Australia from the horrors of the Western Front in search of solitude.

In the film, Fassbender plays a lighthouse keeper who lives on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia with his wife Isabel (Vikander) in the wake of World War I. The only inhabitants of Janus Rock, he and his wife Isabel live a quiet life, cocooned from the rest of the world. Queue beautiful shots of the coastal wilderness showing the power of Mother Nature.

What comes next? Normally in happily ever afters, Isabel would fall pregnant, they'd raise a family and live a long and happy life together.

But this isn't a fairytale.

After struggling to have children of their own, one April morning a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying infant - and the path of the couple's lives hits an unthinkable crossroads. This is where the real part of the story begins.

Isabel convinces her husband to keep the child, but every action has its consequences and what follows this couple's choice to keep the baby and raise her as their own is heartbreaking. Only years later do they discover the devastating consequences of the decision they made that day - as the baby's real story unfolds...

The couple must come to terms with the fact that the child's birth mother, played by Weisz, is consumed with grief at her loss. Cue tears.

The Light Between Oceans starts off as a classic love story and romantics will love this film, but be warned, this film has earned its darkness.

With over two million copies sold, the novel has been awarded three ABIA awards for Best Newcomer, Best Literary Novel and Book of the Year, winner of two Indie Awards for Best Debut and Book of the Year, winner of the Nielsen BookData Bookseller's Choice Award for 2013 and voted Historical Novel of 2012 by GoodReads' reading community. The quality of this story cannot be disputed. How it translates to film however, is a matter for discussion.

After shining reviews from the last Spineless Social Club event in November, be sure not to miss the upcoming special screening of 'The Light Between Oceans' (M), Saturday 3rd December from 6.00pm. Enjoy the film with some light refreshments, lucky door prize and animated discussions about the best of books and film, all for only $20. Tickets can be pre-purchased to assist with our catering requirements.

Book sets of 'The Light Between Oceans' are available for loan from Bundaberg Regional Libraries for book clubs and individuals. For more information about this and other upcoming events, visit us online at moncreiff-bundaberg.com.au, call 4130 4100 or drop in at 177 Bourbong Street.