Michelle de Kretser's Scary Monsters

The Final Draft Great Conversations podcast is all about books, writing and literary culture. We're dedicated to exploring Australian writing, looking into the issues that drive our storytelling to discover more from the books you love. These are the stories that make us who we are. Today's show features Michelle de Kretser discussing her new novel Scary Monsters Lili is teaching in southern France in the 1980’s. It’s a thrifty life but she is striving to be like her hero Simone de Beauvoir, strong, independent and free. All around her she sees the divides in society, watching the treatment of African immigrants and wondering at the protections her Australian passport provides her. In a too-near future, Lyle negotiates life both within and without Australian society. Islam is banned and repatriation laws leave three quarters of the population in a state of tense anticipation. Lyle and his family work to be model citizens; virtually invisible to the state. But constant vigilance is not easy and Lyle has dreams. Can he overcome the quirks of family and relationship to climb the social ladder - a perfect quiet Australian. Join Andrew in conversation with Michelle de Kretser on Scary Monsters... Final Draft is produced and presented by Andrew Pople