Between Water and the Night Sky

Elspeth is full of inexpressible longings: to leave behind her beginnings in a small wheatbelt town, and a secret she scarcely comprehends. After migrating from Singapore, Francis just wants to make a life for himself that is not determined by the colour of his skin or the judgement of others.

Told by their only child, Eva, this is a novel about falling in love, and falling apart – the beautiful, sad story of a shared history that never ends.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

‘A stunningly wise and tender memoir of migration, and a mother’s quiet rebuilding of her early life in old age. Lovingly conceived, and written with wisdom and tenderness. I loved it.’ Liz Byrski

‘A tender memorial to a mother who gave her daughter an understanding of hidden cruelties and the great gift of surmounting them.’ Brenda Walker

‘This story will leave you with a renewed thirst for deepening connections with those you love. An astonishingly powerful work.’ Julienne van Loon

‘… [T]his book left me contemplating larger questions too: what is a life well lived? A tender and wise elegy, it deserves a broad readership.’ The Conversation

‘Based on the life of her mother Elspeth, this [is an] upliftingly beautiful tribute.’ Australian Women’s Weekly

‘A wise, unshowy, and beautifully composed book that moves sinuously from an adult daughter unprepared for grief into reflections on memory, migration, love, and how the weight of unspoken trauma may be endured.’ Sydney Morning Herald

‘Between Water and the Night Sky is a tender and at-times piercingly poignant example of … autofiction — that is, a work combining autobiography and fiction — and informed in part by the experiences of Lazaroo’s parents.’ West Australian

‘Lazaroo writes with a tenderness for her characters, and places her trust in the reader to fill in the gaps and silences between and within scenes, resulting in a story that is very much greater than the sum of its parts. Evocatively and poetically told, Between Water and the Night Sky will have readers searching out Lazaroo’s previous work once they have finished savouring the pages of this one.’ Writing WA

‘Between Water and the Night Sky is a novel about falling in love and falling apart and the shared histories that have ripple effects throughout the generations.’ RTRFM

‘Understated, and yet remarkably effective at drawing you into the central characters’ lives.’ Beauty and Lace

‘A beautiful story of family, immigration, loss and heartbreak.’ @booksbecread