Pung uses satire to exploit the stereotypes of snobby girls, pretentious schools and immigrant families. And yet, stereotypes grow from truth, don’t they? There’s nothing much to redeem Laurinda as a school and I’m sure many will dismiss the plot as based too much on stereotypes.

Laurinda is brutally truthful and says a lot about the culture of the cloistered, ‘prestigious’ independent schools that are found in Melbourne. The Cabinet ‘endorses’ Lucy however she is smart enough to know that her association with these girls comes at a cost. “…Laurinda had shown me that just because a person was an adult, it didn’t necessarily mean you had to respect them.” Of course, ‘mummy and daddy’s’ generous donations to the school always help smooth any ‘misunderstandings’. From the simple eye-roll or snide comment to elaborate pranks and schoolwork sabotage, the Cabinet keep both students and staff in their place. A pretentious, privileged trio of girls (known as the Cabinet), bully whoever is in their way (as well as those not in their way – some bullying is pure folly). The story is essentially Mean Girls** set in Melbourne and tracks Lucy’s year at Laurinda. Lucy wins an ‘Equal Access Scholarship’ to the exclusive Laurinda College, an independent school for girls in Melbourne*. Lucy’s parents speak very little English and work extremely hard for minimum (or less) wage. Laurinda is the story of Lucy Lam, Chinese-born, but raised for the most part in Australia. Highly recommended for ages 12 and up.I was pleased to open the 2015 reading account with Laurinda by Alice Pung. It is those of us who take our fortune and privilege for granted that I wish would read this powerful book. Those who have faced discrimination and prejudice will recognise the truth of Lucy’s story, but they’re probably not the ones who really need to hear it told. In order to regain her voice, Lucy must find the courage to define herself anew.

She even begins to doubt her own identity.

Intimidated and isolated, Lucy begins to drift away from her family and friends. But when a scholarship lands her in a prestigious and exclusive girls’ school, Lucy struggles to find her voice in a world of privilege and entitlement. Popular with her peers at Christ Our Saviour College, she’s just one more migrant kid from a humble family making friends in a school with cultures as diverse as the United Nations. On one level Laurinda is about a young girl’s struggle for identity and belonging, but it quickly deepens into a candid and powerful exploration of family, culture and class.įifteen-year-old Lucy is vibrant, cheeky and sharp-witted. Let me first declare that this novel was like a time machine that shot me straight back to my own years in middle secondary school.