Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Scary Monsters is a creative way to tell a story from two perspectives - splitting it in two novella's, one being Lyle's story, the other being Lili's. You could read either first, but together they paint a whole picture. Excellent writing!

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.

Scary Monsters is a book featuring two novellas of equal length by Australian writer Michelle De Ketser: one is set in the past and the other in the future, and you can start from either depending on which end of the book you pick (an intriguing concept). Lyle works in an institute that controls citizen information in an alternative, uchronic version of modern day Australia where Islam has been outlawed, dissent and any form of critique, for example of environmental policies, is dangerous and everyone strives for total assimilation. Lyle and his wife Chanel, who live with his mother Ivy, have even changed their names. Lyle is confused about his complex, multicultural identity, but his yuppy-ish wife is more determined to leave it all behind: what are they willing to sacrifice and what length are they going to go in order to perfectly fit in? An indictment of Australian and generally speaking contemporary politics, at a personal and institutional level and a chilling study of racism and conformism. I loved the way the author manipulates point of view, making us enter the mind of and sympathise with the characters and plunging us in an atmosphere of laid-back normality where shocking truths come as absolute surprise.

The author employs the same technique of letting us into a characters’ mind and surprise us in Lily’s story. It is set in the eighties and features a young girl – also Australian with a dark skin and immigrant background – working as a teaching assistant in Montpellier. Themes are still racism, misoginy/identity/body politics issues and ageism. It is more subtle and uneventful – more of an attentive psychological study and not always a page-turner, which makes sense as these novellas, showing how horror can penetrate daily life, do not rely so much on plot as on close observation and psychological investigation. While I understand and admire the concept and the bravura, I did not always find it gripping. Probably a case of it’s me and not the book as this is still an excellent, veritable exploration of racism and the pressure to conform.

A totally spellbinding novel that deals with hard hitting and emotive topics in a mesmerising way. A great premise that delivered holding no punches. I loved it