Publisher Description

'I pictured myself a wine-dark streak in a TV desert, ears too full of the summer wind to hear that ominous ticking in the sky- the sound of a cultural clock counting me out of youth.''I pictured myself a wine-dark streak in a TV desert, ears too full of the summer wind to hear that ominous ticking in the sky- the sound of a cultural clock counting me out of youth.'Briohny Doyle turned thirty without a clear idea of what her adult life should look like. The world she lived in, with its global economic uncertainty, political conservatism, and precarious employment conditions, didn't match the one her parents grew up in. Every day she read editorials about how her millennial cohort - dubbed the 'Peter Pan generation' - were reluctant to embrace the traditional markers of adulthood- a stable job, a house in the suburbs, a nuclear family.But do these emblems of maturity mean the same thing today as they did thirty years ago? In a smart and spirited enquiry, Doyle examines whether millennials are redefining what it means to be an adult today. Blending personal essay and cultural critique, she ventures into the big claims of philosophy and the neon buzz of pop culture to ask- in a rapidly changing world, do the so-called adult milestones distract us from other measures of maturity?

Author Biography

Briohny Doyle is a writer and academic, and an inaugural winner of the Scribe Nonfiction Prize for Young Writers. She has a PhD in the post-apocalyptic imagination, and her work appears in a range of publications in Australia and overseas, and as meaningful pixels all over the internet. Her debut novel, The Island Will Sink, was published to critical acclaim in 2016. A 2017 Endeavour Scholarship recipient, Briohny will spend time in residence at Yale University and the University of California. Briohny has taken to the stage at many writers' festivals with everything from room-stopping spoken word to XXX fan porn. Adult Fantasy is her first work of nonfiction.

Review

'Adult Fantasy is like a gut-punch from L'Etranger and a balm for anti-Gen Y rhetoric. Confronting, existential, tremendous.' -Anna Spargo-Ryan, author of The Paper House 'Smart, insightful, and a pleasure to read, seamlessly combining serious analysis with wry asides.' FOUR AND A HALF STARS. -Jo Case, Books+Publishing 'It's dangerous to declare anyone the voice of your generation, but if Briohny Doyle was declared the voice of mine, I'd be nothing short of honoured. In this book, she somehow articulates and refines every foggy frustration and anxiety millennials feel about their status, place in life, and where they're headed. This is a book of consolation - reminding us we're not insane or alone - and revelation, by asking all the right questions and finding answers that never fail to surprise and help.' -Ben Law, author of The Family Law 'Adult Fantasy is a thoughtful, honest, and engaging examination of the myths and realities of adulthood. It's a real pleasure to accompany Doyle as she tugs at the threads of conventional adulthood and then re-weaves them into something softer, messier, and far more forgiving.' -Emily Maguire, author of An Isolated Incident 'Briohny Doyle moves beyond generationalism to explore fledgling adulthood and the failures of neoliberalism with a sharp, lucid eye. Always warmhearted and frank, and often poignant, Adult Fantasy is a vital examination of what it means to come of age today.' -Jennifer Down, author of Our Magic Hour

Promotional

'I pictured myself a wine-dark streak in a TV desert, ears too full of the summer wind to hear that ominous ticking in the sky- the sound of a cultural clock counting me out of youth.'

Review Quote

"Thoughtful, insightful and genuinely worth the time. Weaving together historical context, observation and her own laugh-out-loud-funny experiences, Adult Fantasy is cleverly written and very readable...Doyle's academic smarts lend the book cred, [bringing] rigour to a subject usually shrouded in hysteria and outrage. Boomers and generation X will get just as much out of reading as younger people... Adult Fantasy is the beginning of a conversation about generationalism that Australia sorely needs to have. And Doyle has kicked it off in a careful, considered and compassionate way."

Promotional "Headline"

'I pictured myself a wine-dark streak in a TV desert, ears too full of the summer wind to hear that ominous ticking in the sky- the sound of a cultural clock counting me out of youth.'

Feature

A topical, provocative, and wry inquiry into millennials and the culture of "adultescents" Will attract major review and feature coverage, and the author will be appearing at Sydney Writers Festival in 2017 The nonfiction debut from a co-winner of the inaugural Scribe Nonfiction Prize and an up-and-coming Australian talent For readers of politically engaged female personal essayists such as Clementine Ford, Jill Stark, Lena Dunham, and Sloane Crosley

Description for Sales People

A topical, provocative, and wryly funny inquiry into millennials and the culture of "adultescents." For readers of female personal essayists and memoirists such as Jesse Klein, Lena Dunham, and Sloane Crosley.

Details