Cirrus@Austlit

'A few weeks after my mother’s death, I left Australia again and returned to my life in New Zealand. My mother had died unexpectedly in an accident, so we were all struggling to make sense of things, but it is true what they say. It is a terrible thing for a parent to outlive a child.' (Introduction)

'Alone in a new city, her last bottle of wine nearly empty, a woman drinks but can never forget. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, her grandfather wanders the past, fighting to remember.

'Told with Tracy Crisp's trademark blend of poignancy and humour, a compassionate story about a woman's identity, family memory, and ageing.

'If we don't remember who we were, then who do we become?'

Source: Adelaide Festival.

'Rachael Carter, a young nurse, is asked to house-sit by a colleague she barely knows. Dr Cate O'Reilly is travelling to Vietnam with her husband to adopt a baby. Before long the request has changed. The couple need a surrogate. 

'Rachael sees an opportunity to leave her own troubles behind, but is soon caught up in new struggles, both sexual and psychological. She discovers that this couple will do anything to see their dream of a child fulfilled. 

'Surrogate is an unflinching depiction of the issues around motherhood, both past and present, by a writer at the peak of her talents.' (Publication summary)