*** WINNER OF THE 2023 RATHBONES FOLIO FICTION PRIZE***
ONE OF SLATE''S 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2022
''Every page of her story feels charged, like an open circuit waiting for its switch; a lurking wallop. It''s magnificent, peerless writing'' Guardian
''When my family emigrated it felt as if we''d been stood on our heads.''
Michelle de Kretser''s 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''. 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.
Lili''s family migrated to Australia from Asia when she was a teenager. Now
