Scary Monsters Michelle De Kretser by Michelle De Kretser 9781838953973, 1838953973, B0998LVGXN instant download after payment.

"A reversible novel tells the stories of two Asian immigrants to Australia, one 40 years in the past and one in the future... De Kretser, one of our most deeply intelligent writers, offers a book that is wry and heartbreaking, playful and profound."   -  Kirkus Reviews

Lili's family migrated to Australia from Asia when she was a teenager. Now, in the 1980s, she's 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. 

Lyle works for a sinister government department in near-future Australia. An Asian migrant, he fears repatriation and embraces 'Australian values'. He's 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. 

"Michelle de Kretser’s fiction does more than beckon us in; it requires us to show up. The reward is room to wonder in both senses of the word. But her new novel demands tactile participation ... There’s a whiff of gimmick about it, but also that rarest of high-literary delights: play. It’s magnificent, peerless writing ... "   -  Beejay  Silcox, The Guardian (AU)

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.