Scary Monsters

*** WINNER OF THE 2023 RATHBONES FOLIO FICTION PRIZE***


ONE OF SLATES 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2022

Every page of her story feels charged, like an open circuit waiting for its switch; a lurking wallop. Its magnificent, peerless writingGuardian

When my family emigrated it felt as if wed been stood on our heads.

Michelle de Kretsers electrifying take on scary monsters turns the novel upside down - just as migration has upended her characters lives.

Lyle works for a sinister government department in near-future Australia. An Asian migrant, he fears repatriation and embraces Australian values. Hes also preoccupied by his ambitious wife, his wayward children and his strong-minded elderly mother. Islam has been banned in the country, the air is smoky from a Permanent Fire Zone, and one pandemic has already run its course.

Lilis family migrated to Australia from Asia when she was a teenager. Now, in the 1980s, shes teaching in the south of France. She makes friends, observes the treatment handed out to North African immigrants and is creeped out by her downstairs neighbour. All the while, Lili is striving to be A Bold, Intelligent Woman like Simone de Beauvoir.

Three scary monsters - racism, misogyny and ageism - roam through this mesmerising novel. Its reversible format enacts the disorientation that migrants experience when changing countries changes the story of their lives. With this suspenseful, funny and profound book, Michelle de Kretser has made something thrilling and new.

Which comes first, the future or the past?