Puberty Blues holds a special place in the heart of many Australians. First, it was the book that scandalised 1970s audiences for its frank depictions of teenage sex, drug-taking and pregnancy. Next came the 1981 movie adaptation that popularised the immortal sledge “fish-faced molls” and, some decades later, a TV series that brought the surfie saga to a new generation in 2012.
The book is the work of Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey, who co-authored it as young adults while living together in a shared Sydney flat. For Lette, Puberty Blues was just the first release in a long career. In the years since, she’s penned many more bestsellers, as well as newspaper columns and TV series both in Australia and abroad. Her latest release is Till Death, or a Little Light Maiming, Do Us Part – a novel that explores the ups and downs of romance for older women.
