Former Braybrook resident Alice Pung has been named among the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist for her book ‘One Hundred Days’.
Mrs Pung said she was surprised to be selected in the shortlist prominent literary awards, as she originally wrote the book for a teenage audience.
“It was a bit of a shock to the system,” she said.
Mrs Pung said ‘One Hundred Days’ and Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s ‘The Other Half of You’, which was also named among the shortlist, both told the stories of children struggling within working-class migrant families living in Australia.
“I wanted to explore what makes a person an adult,” she said.
‘One Hundred Days’ tells the story of sixteen-year-old Karuna, who is confined in a 14th-storey housing commission flat by her controlling mother after learning she has fallen pregnant.
Mrs Pung said she wanted to tell the stories of several young people she encountered through her work as a Les Twentyman Foundation ambassador, especially those in public housing in Flemington and North Melbourne, by dealing with themes of how close love can border on control and the relationship between a mother and her daughter.
She said she was humbled to be part of a group of diverse authors.
“It’s just nice to be shortlisted,” Mrs Pung said.
Judging panel chair Richard Neville said this year’s shortlist featured a wide variety of stories.
“The outstanding feature of this year’s Miles Franklin shortlist is the range of dynamic and diverse voices that address the experience of pain, intergenerational trauma and intergenerational dialogue with compassion, exceptional craft and rigorous unsentimentality,” he said.
The 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 20.
Matthew Sims
