RaveArts Hub (AU)One side of the book belongs to Lili, and the other side to Lyle. Their two stories are distinctly standalone, yet thematically conjoined ... Scary Monsters is an account of vulnerability, exploitation, alienation, and the construction of meaning from context. Using the dichotomies of fear/humour, light/dark, past/future, male/female, de Kretser subtextually explores the Beauvoirian concept of self and other, as well as Camus’ absurdity ... De Kretser, twice winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award, writes with skilful emphasis on location and interpersonal observation. Her descriptions are ripe with sensory details, and her words hold the enviable weight of existential complexity ... Scary Monsters will resonate most with humans who enjoy a well-told-tale, especially post-modern feminists with a penchant for literary intertextuality.
