Melissa Lucashenko has been named the winner of 2019’s Miles Franklin Literary Award for her novel Too Much Lip, a gritty and darkly hilarious story about a prodigal daughter and a family in crisis.

Chair of the judging panel, State Library of NSW’s Mitchell Librarian, Richard Neville said, ‘ Too Much Lip is driven by personal experience, historical injustice, anger and what in Indigenous vernacular could be described as “deadly Blak” humour. Lucashenko weaves a (sometimes) fabulous tale with the very real politics of cultural survival to offer a story of hope and redemption for all Australians.’

Too Much Lip

also has an enormous fan base at Readings. Bookseller George Delaney said, ‘I loved

Too Much Lip

, and read it almost in one sitting. Lucashenko combines sexy, foul-mouthed and charming comedy with moving and incisive representations of contemporary Goorie politics.’ Read George’s full review

here

.

Digital marketing manager Jackie Tang names the novel as ‘a blistering account of one family’s ability to survive intergenerational trauma, told with deft humour, cracking dialogue and generous compassion’, and marketing and events coordinator Ellen Cregan says ‘Lucashenko is a gem of an author who writes unforgettable characters.’

First awarded in 1957, the Miles Franklin Literary Award is presented annually to a novel of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases. As the winner, Lucashenko will receive $60,000 in prize money. You can find out more about the award here. Lucashenko’s work was chosen from a shortlist featuring a mix of emerging and established writers. You can read more about the 2019 shortlist here.