Australian novelist Kathy Lette tells Stephen Jewell how she sees the comedy within the chaos of daily life with an Asperger’s child and how she was picked up by Billy Connolly.
'Your women friends are your human wonderbras - uplifting, supportive and making each other look bigger and better. Photo / Supplied

'Your women friends are your human wonderbras - uplifting, supportive and making each other look bigger and better. Photo / Supplied

Ever since she co-wrote her 1978 debut, Puberty Blues, with her old friend Gabrielle Carey, Kathy Lette's novels have combined more serious themes with her trademark satirical humour. Now, after confronting post-natal depression in 1996's Mad Cows and the downside of cosmetic surgery in 2001's Nip 'n' Tuck, the London-based Australian has produced her most personal novel to date.
Centring around single mother Lucy's attempts to make a life for herself while raising her autistic son Merlin, The Boy Who Fell To Earth is inspired by the 53-year-old's experiences with her own son, Julius, who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when he was young.
"I always write the book I wish I'd had when I was going through something, be it the sexist surfie culture, childbirth, motherhood or parenting," says Lette. "This new novel is not just about a mother's love for her son. It's also an unexpected love story. There's betrayal, revenge, lust, love, orgasms, laughter, girl talk and plenty of quiplash for readers who don't have children."
Claiming that it could easily have been titled My Family and Other Aliens, she insists The Boy Who Fell To Earth is not strictly autobiographical.
Full piece at New Zealand Herald

Kathy Lette is at the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival this weekend.