This book written from the viewpoint of Asian immigrants explores the difficulties they experience in their new lives. The book is split into two parts and either part can read first. In the sequential first part, Lili has moved yet again after her family's move to Australia and is teaching in Paris. She makes friends but realizes the difference that her darker skin makes in the marketplace, with landlords and with the men she desires. Her best friend suddenly disappears at the end of one summer, not bothering to contact Lili before she goes and Lili wonders if they were really ever friends at all.

Lyle and his family had come to Australia and then moved from Sydney to Melbourne when Sydney became virus ridden. This is an Australia in the future where being a Muslim is outlawed. Lyle and his wife are both mid-managers in businesses and both spend their professional lives undercutting their peers in hopes of advancement. The couple has two children, both grown and living elsewhere and Lyle's mother, Ivy, lives with them also. When they decide they need to downsize, they pressure Ivy into a decision she would not have made otherwise.

Michelle de Kretser was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Australia in her teens. Her novels have won various literary awards and been short or longlisted for others. This work highlights racism and also ageism. Lili's portion is written in the present while Lyle's is in an unhappy future. I listened to this novel and there was both a female narrator for Lili's part and a male for Lyle's. Each did a great job, especially the male narrator whose voice highlighted the sly mechanisms of Lyle's constant maneuverings for advancement and status. This book is recommended for other culture and literary fiction readers.

DNF. I gave this a few shots but I just couldn't get into it from either side. I love an experimental novel, but this felt disjointed and I'm not sure what the message was supposed to be (aside from the very obvious "scary monster(s) from the title)

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* this was a pretty good rad but honestly i think it would be better reading it myself over the audiobook, so i want to do that and i have a feeling the review would go up lol

The composition of this book was unique. It is divided into two parts and each part focuses on a different character who exists in different time frames in Australia.

Although I thought the writing was well done and the idea was interesting, overall the pace of the book left me a bit disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

Scary Monsters is a very unique novel. The different parts tell different but related stories, and there are several important lessons to be learned. The "Scary Monsters" to be faced are not literal monsters, but struggles of our modern society that many of us deal with on a daily basis. Well worth the read.

This book is broken down into two different points of view. The first part of the book follows Lili and is set mostly in France in the 1980s. Her story follows her day-to-day life and her interactions with her friends, society, and the world. The second part focuses on Lyle, who lives in Australia in the future and we see his life as well. The larger part of the story examines how racism, misogyny, and ageism are ingrained in our lives and explores their impacts on these individuals and society.

This book discusses some really interesting topics and does so in a smart and at times entertaining way. However, I felt the slow pacing of the book left me feeling a bit bored throughout the story.