An unforgettable and moving insight into loss, hope and starting again, aided by the incredible healing power of nature and a community of unexpected angels—for fans of Phosphoresence by Julia Baird.
After I swim, I watch an osprey hanging in mid-air. If those who came before really do dissolve and dissipate, and if their cells really are all around us, then that bird is held there by Mum and Peter and billions of others of the long-dead. The osprey is kept aloft by absences. Perhaps I am too.
When her husband doesn't answer his phone, Ailsa Piper knows something is wrong. She calls their neighbour, and minutes later, he rings back. 'Oh, Ailsa. I'm so sorry,' he says. Five words to change a life.
Wanting to flee her shattered world in Melbourne, Ailsa migrates north to Sydney. She makes a nest. She learns to swim. She walks the harbour cliffs to the lighthouse, meeting the locals: winter swimmers and shoreline philosophers.
But we never leave our past behind. Ailsa is drawn back south, and even further back, to the west's aqua waters …
About the Author
Ailsa Piper's first book was the travel memoir Sinning Across Spain. Then came The Attachment: Letters from a most unlikely friendship, which was co-authored with Tony Doherty. She has written for radio and theatre, and her script Small Mercies was co-winner of the Patrick White Playwright's Award.
Ailsa also worked as an actor and director for many years and is an accomplished audiobook narrator.
Industry Reviews
'As strong and as light as a bird, For Life is a loving, courageous account of the black mess of grief and the slow return to a flourishing life. Perhaps it's only by staring death in the face that one can wholeheartedly celebrate the profound, joyful luck of being alive, and this book does both. Unflinching and tender, it shows us how to grieve. And it enacts the deep, human need to properly lay the dead to rest. You will cry reading this book, but you will also look up and see the world afresh, newly aware of the pulsing beat of your heart, grateful for the sun in your eyes.' Charlotte Wood, author of Stone Yard Devotional
'A beautiful, courageous and unflinching testament to life. To love shadowed by loss. To the howl of impermanence salved by beauty and the interconnectedness of all things. A book of hope and humanity.' Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
'This beautiful book made my heart sing and break at the same time.'Michael Robotham, author of Storm Child
'A wondrous, delicately constructed memoir. I loved it.' Bill Hayes, author of Insomniac City: New York, Oliver Sacks, and Me
'Finely wrought, and exquisitely told, Ailsa Piper's memoir describes the art of moving forward, even in the face of unbearable loss. For Life is, in the end, a celebration - of love, of nature, of language itself. I loved it for about a million reasons, often reading through a veil of tears.' Sofie Laguna, author of Infinite Splendours
'Piper's writing makes you want to dance, sing, soar, be held and be free. I was filled with an urge to both dive into the ocean, and to breathe in the world deeply.' Suzie Miller, author of Prima Facie
