The Stars and the Blackness Between Them

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Told in two distinct voices, Junauda Petrus’s bold and lyrical debut follows two black girls from different backgrounds as they seek love and happiness in a world that often denies them both. In Trinidad, sixteen-year-old Audre is heartbroken after being sent to live with her father in America due to her strictly religious mother discovering her relationship with her girlfriend, the pastor’s daughter. Audre’s grandmother Queenie, a former dancer with her own secrets, reassures her that she won’t lose her roots in Minneapolis, saying, “America have dey spirits too, believe me.” Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, Mabel, also sixteen, lies on her bed contemplating her feelings for her ex Terrell, her girl Jada, and the vague illness that has plagued her all summer. Her thoughts are interrupted when her father announces a dinner with his best friend and his daughter from Trinidad. Mabel quickly develops feelings for Audre and is determined to support her as she navigates American high school life. However, their romance takes a turn when Mabel learns the cause of her summer illness, leading Audre to become the caregiver as Mabel faces an uncertain future. Petrus captures the lush voices of Mabel and Audre, illustrating a love that transcends hatred, prison, and death, as vast as the blackness between the stars.