Lucy Lam, my main character, is from depressed socio-economic circumstances, and I did not want her race to be the main focus. Laurinda, first and foremost, takes a satirical look at class. You are also known for the Asian content and stories in your books. And I wanted to do this through fiction because I wanted to create a character inspired by a number of young adults I’d met and admired. So I’ve always been interested in how teenagers adapt to this. As a teenager, though, you are forced to fit yourself in amongst 200-1000 other people, who are all with you every day. As an adult you can choose your friends, and your time is finite, so of course, you try to only spend time with people who like and affirm you. High school is the only time in your life where a large part of your identity is actually shaped by other people. In each new high school I felt like I was a slightly different person – not because anything about me had immediately changed – but because people’s perceptions of me had. Growing up, I went to five different high schools, and I have always been fascinated by the way institutions shape individuals. Why have you sidestepped into YA fiction? You are well known for your excellent non-fiction, Unpolished Gem, Her Father’s Daughter and as editor of Growing Up Asian in Australia. Thanks for talking to Boomerang Books about your outstanding first novel Laurinda ( Black Inc.), Alice Pung. Review: The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May January 17, 2019.Flames by Robbie Arnott January 21, 2019.
A Little Taste of Australiana – Picture Books to Whet Your Aussie Appetite January 23, 2019.
Guest Review: Wilam: A Birrarung Story August 25, 2019.
0 kommentar(er)
