Michelle de Kretser’s playful presentation of two echoing scenarios is more than just a clever device

Scary Monsters is not, unfortunately, about fantastical comic book or spooky horror creations, but about the real monsters we create from our conscious or unconscious prejudices, those which have been and may continue to be, part of our culture and history. The monsters of ‘othering’ and the challenges of assimilating into another culture which assumes its own superiority.

De Kretser herself was born in Sri Lanka, but now lives in Australia. The two stories both depict Asian born migrants who are Australian citizens. Set in the 1980’s, Lili is a young woman who is now living in the South of France, working as a teacher. She is young and hip, and with a sophisticated left-leaning group of friends. Simone de Beauvoir is her aspirational model. However….even amongst her ‘free-from-prejudice friends’ it is clear that she is seen still as ‘exotic’ and other. Then there is the way that those with darker skin are seen generally in society, particularly those who have come to France from parts of the world which were former French colonies. The monsters of layered racism, misogyny, homophobia, intolerance of other religions and class are subtly exposed here

Lyle’s account is set in a not too distant future, in Australia. Islam has been banned, the terrible and scary effects of climate change are visible. Another created by us monster. Corporates have pretty well taken over everything. Lyle , a Government employee is doing everything he can to assimilate into society. This includes the adoption of brand names as first names, such as Porsche, and Ikea. This is particularly important for those who might have had names which indicated an Islamic background. The additional monster here is also that of ageism, and coercive assisted dying. Lyle’s elderly mother, who came to live with him and his wife is being seen as someone taking needed resources and space up.

There are of course parallels and resonances between the stories. There is a choice the reader must make, as the book can be read with either story as the first. To read Lily’s story first is to see a more intense progression which we might surmise from our assessment from the 1980’s to our present time, and then on, in linear fashion. To read Lyle’s future is like going back from the still progressing future down into the ground. Roots to shoots, or shoots to roots, with whichever was read first as a shadow behind what is read next. You can never unknow what you first saw, so, effectively each choice gives a different book

The feeling of dislocation, being upended in the physical book, with its two covers, upside down from each other, is a visceral nudge to that of the experience of the migrant, leaving a culture of familiarity and being up-ended into a new world, ‘the wrong way up’

Library copy

This was an interesting enough book, but I couldn't really see the point in having the two different parts, I felt it could just as easily have been two separate novellas. To me, Lilli's story didn't feel particularly original but Lyle's had a bit more to think about, I would have been happy just to read that one.

Thank you to netgalley and Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.

Great stories and some memorable language ! A great read. My friend is recommending it to her book group !

A challenging and unnerving read. Structured as two novellas, one deals with the present through Lili’s story, and the other with the near future; Lyle’s story.

Both are masterfully written and deal with ‘scary monsters’ all too familiar in our world and scarily possible in the future.

Lili is a language assistant in 1980s Montpelier. She has ambitions to be free, bold and intelligent, a la Simone de Beauvoir, but spend# her time trying to avoid her creepy neighbour in her shabby digs with a shared toilet and timed light switch on the stairs. Misogyny and racism.

Lyle also from Asia works for an authoritarian Australian government dept weeding out ‘unsuitable’ citizens such as anyone even only 25% Moslem. Material ambition, the issue of an aging and dependant relative and uncontrollable temperatures make this vision of the near future a vile prospect, despite the satirical tone.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Atlantic books for my pre release digital copy.

Plenty to think about here, and to fear, whichever way round you read the stories.

I requested this book because I found the concept unusual – we can start by either reading Lili’s or Lyle’s story – in a physical copy, you can read one story and then flip the book upside down to read the second one. At the beginning of my post I uploaded the photos, so you can get the idea. In the electronic version, you can click on the chosen name: LILI or LYLE, and you will be taken to that story.

The book starts with this message:

‘Who decides how to read a novel? This one can be read in two ways. In one version LILI precedes LYLE. In the other, LYLE precedes LILI. Their stories are the same in both versions, just in a different order. The choice is yours’.

That immediately piqued my interest.

I really wanted to start with Lyle’s account first, because the first line in his story gripped my interest, compared to Lili’s. But then, having read the synopsis and finding out that Lili’s story happened in the 1980s, and Lyle’s is set in the future, I decided to read them in the ‘traditional’ way: first the past, then the future. I thought that if I start with the future there might be a spoiler for the past, but after reading the whole book, that wasn’t the case – both stories are tenuously linked.

So I went with Lili. As aforementioned, her story is set in 1980s in Montpellier, France. She is a twenty-four year old high school teacher, originally from Australia. She rents an apartment in an old building. In the past, the building block didn’t have a bathroom, there was a shared toilet for the all occupants. The landlord put bathrooms in all of the flats, apart from Lili’s – she needs to use the separate toilet, but she was assured she would be the only person using it.

Lili’s account is filled with news of Peter Sutcliffe, better known as the Yorkshire Ripper; and Louis Althusser, a French philosopher who murdered his wife. All these news make her quite nervous and spooked to leave her apartment to use the toilet. Another thing that she feels unsure of is her neighbour, Rinaldi. He is very straight forward and Lili finds him a bit unsettling.

What struck me in this account was the descriptions of every day racism and ageism. For me, Lili’s part has too many descriptions and not enough dialogue. Also, I couldn’t warm to her character, I found her quite feeble. I would rate her story 3/5.

Then, I read Lyle’s account. Him and his wife Chanel are Asian immigrants living in Australia, in a post-pandemic future, where practising Islam is a punishable offence. De Kretser created a world where you have to watch your every word and move. It reminded me of Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s Gilead in The Handmaid’s Tale.

Lyle and Chanel have two children, who are anti-government, which their parents view with fear of potential repercussions. Lyle’s elderly mother, Ivy, also lives with them. She is very stubborn and set in her ways. She doesn’t trust doctors in general, and in the past, she refused hospital treatment. Lyle is very cynical towards his mother, however, Chanel’s attitude towards her ageing mother-in-law is simply shocking. It is clear she finds Ivy a hindrance and would be much happier if she wasn’t in the picture.

Chanel is a very powerful woman who likes to get her way. Lyle is meek and listens to his wife no matter what. Despite not really liking the couple, I found their story more interesting compared to Lili’s. I would rate it 4/5.

Having read the book and contemplated about it, I don’t think it was the book for me. However it is my personal opinion only and I know that others might love it.

Immature , boring, didn't finish.

A beguiling mix of wry humour and flat prose, so understated that I was often fooled into thinking nothing’s happening, lost concentration, and then panicked that I’d missed a really clever piece of writing. Because the wit is not telegraphed or amplified. It just sneaks in.

Countless times I had to reread just-read passages because I suddenly didn’t know where I was or because I’d drifted off.

Consequently I don’t feel I can give the book the stars it maybe deserves, even though I suspect I’m the one to blame, because the insights, the twists and weird detail, the inventiveness of the dystopian gags and scenarios, and the recreation of the imagined or real traumas of a year in the life of a 22yo were sublime.

As a reader I needed to work harder than I think I did, but on the other hand, the fact that I didn’t is maybe evidence that the book was not for me. So a guilty three stars. But at the same time I recommend the read.

The most frightening thing is people. And what they do. Even though this includes laugh out loud humour, and some characters that are quite outrageous. But it sneaks up on you, and is quite subtle. People. Shivers.