Ask the Author: Melina Marchetta
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Melina Marchetta
I started writing this novel in 2013, before the rise of ISIS and worldwide terror attacks. But our response to 21st century terrorism certainly shaped it. It’s unashamedly a criticism of the treatment of minority groups at different periods in history, no different to my past work. Post September 11 it’s been the Muslim community, but every generation has someone to hate or persecute. During World War 2 it was anyone who came from a country fighting against the allies. My grandfather, at the time, was an Italian-born Australian citizen, but he was taken away from his wife and children and put in a camp three thousand km from his hometown. For me, the novel was very much inspired by false imprisonments such as the Guildford Four and the Memphis Three and the Central Park Five. Truth/Devil starts with an act of terror that forces a man to unofficially work out the truth. Much like all of my work, it's about family, community, ignorance and what binds us.
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