{"product_id":"2026100009360-secondhand-girl-with-a-monkey","title":"Girl With A Monkey","description":"\u003cp\u003eEdition: 1st ed.,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Yellowed\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the sun-drenched world of post-war Australia, Thea Astley's debut novel Girl with a Monkey chronicles the restless inner life of Elsie Shelton, a young woman navigating the suffocating expectations of a conservative society while tethered to a relationship that no longer serves her. Set against the vivid backdrop of a Brisbane still finding its postwar footing, the novel captures a single defining day in which Elsie's quiet dissatisfaction erupts into a series of sharp, revelatory encounters, laying bare the tensions between personal freedom and social conformity.\n\nAstley writes with a sardonic wit and lyrical precision that would come to define her celebrated career, and Girl with a Monkey stands as a remarkable early testament to her distinctive voice. The novel sits firmly within the tradition of Australian literary realism, yet its unflinching psychological portrait of a woman straining against the invisible bonds of mid-century life feels bracingly modern. For readers who have savoured the moral complexity of Patrick White or the wry social observation of Christina Stead, this compact yet resonant debut raises a question that lingers long after the final page: how much of oneself must one surrender to simply belong?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49216192872667,"sku":"2026100009360-SECONDHAND","price":50.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/02d0301b-3cbf-4d50-b1e1-b7baa2730c9d.png?v=1788404986","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100009360-secondhand-girl-with-a-monkey","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}