diff --git a/property-list.cabal b/property-list.cabal
--- a/property-list.cabal
+++ b/property-list.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                   property-list
-version:                0.0.0.4
+version:                0.0.0.5
 stability:              experimental
 license:                PublicDomain
 
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@
 synopsis:               XML property list parser
 description:            Parser, data type and formatter for Apple's XML property list 1.0 format.
 
+flag data_object_uses_lazy_bytestrings
+  default:              True
+
 Library
   hs-source-dirs:       src
   exposed-modules:      Data.PropertyList
@@ -27,7 +30,6 @@
                         bytestring,
                         containers, 
                         dataenc,
-                        data-object,
                         HaXml >= 1.19,
                         mtl,
                         old-locale,
@@ -36,3 +38,10 @@
                         
                         template-haskell,
                         th-fold
+
+  if flag(data_object_uses_lazy_bytestrings)
+    build-depends:      data-object >= 0.0.2
+    cpp-options:        -Ddata_object_uses_lazy_bytestrings
+  else
+    build-depends:      data-object <  0.0.2
+    
diff --git a/src/Data/PropertyList/Object.hs b/src/Data/PropertyList/Object.hs
--- a/src/Data/PropertyList/Object.hs
+++ b/src/Data/PropertyList/Object.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE 
-        FlexibleContexts, UndecidableInstances
+        FlexibleContexts, UndecidableInstances, CPP
   #-}
 module Data.PropertyList.Object ({- instances only -}) where
 
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@
 import Data.PropertyList.Type
 import Data.PropertyList.Parse
 import Data.PropertyList.Xml
+#ifdef data_object_uses_lazy_bytestrings
+import Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8
+#else
 import Data.ByteString.Char8
+#endif
 import qualified Data.Map as M
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad