The Healing Party by Micheline Lee Q&A: 6 April, 2017

"With her debut novel, The Healing Party, Micheline Lee breathes new life into the dysfunctional family narrative. Emotionally honest, at times funny and remarkably original, Lee’s novel paints a compelling portrait of a family grappling with their faith in the face of grief and conflict." – Stella Charls

Micheline Lee was born in Malaysia and migrated to Melbourne when she was eight. After completing law at Monash University, she lived in Darwin for 15 years. She has worked as a criminal prosecutor and as a painter, holding exhibitions in Australia and overseas. Micheline now lives in Melbourne with her partner and son. Shortlisted for the 2017 Victorian Premier's Literary Award, The Healing Party is her first novel.

Micheline will join us for a Q&A on Thursday, 6 April between 8 and 9pm. Please leave any questions you have below. (And discuss her writing at your leisure!)

Want to buy The Healing Party? Receive 10% off when purchasing it from Readings at State Library Victoria. To receive the discount online, enter the promo code BOOKCLUB in the promo code box during online checkout. To receive the discount at our State Library bookshop, simply mention the Thursday night book club at the counter.

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Hi Micheline, thanks for doing the Q&A. 😊

I imagine that writing about religion could be a touch controversial nowadays, especially when approaching things like fanaticism. How did you approach the subject in your research and drafting? And how has it been received? Did you have any concerns about public reactions?

Thanks!

Well meaning friends told me not to write about religion because it would repulse people. My experience however as a child involved in the Charismatic movement affected me strongly, and writing was a way of deciphering all the conflicting feelings I had about that period. In novels, religious people are commonly ridiculed or treated like some alien specimen. I wanted to show them as real, multilayered people. Many readers have said they love the Chan family, their ambiguities and the way they can believe in seemingly wild things but at the same time have their feet firmly on the ground. I wanted to show that there was a wonderful side but also a destructive side to the magical thinking that we see in the Chan family.