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15 Authors like Alice Pung

Alice Pung is an Australian author known for her memoirs and novels that explore multicultural experiences and family life. Her insightful memoir Unpolished Gem and the novel Laurinda reflect her engaging and thoughtful narrative style.

If you enjoy reading books by Alice Pung then you might also like the following authors:

  1. Benjamin Law

    Benjamin Law writes openly about identity, family, and cultural conflicts, often blending humor with thoughtful commentary. His memoir, The Family Law, describes the quirks and controversies of his Chinese-Australian upbringing.

    His writing is sharp, funny, and relatable, perfect if you appreciate Alice Pung's exploration of family and belonging.

  2. Anh Do

    Anh Do's storytelling balances warmth, humor, and heartfelt reflections on life as an immigrant. In his memoir, The Happiest Refugee, Do shares his journey from Vietnam to a new life in Australia, capturing both struggles and joyful moments with great honesty and optimism.

    Fans of Alice Pung's authentic stories of immigrant family life will easily connect with Anh Do’s work.

  3. Melina Marchetta

    Melina Marchetta writes thoughtfully about adolescence, identity, family connections, and cultural identity. Her novel, Looking for Alibrandi, explores the emotional landscape of an Italian-Australian teenager discovering herself and her place within her community.

    Readers who like Alice Pung’s insightful and emotional narratives will enjoy Marchetta’s realistic and bold characters.

  4. Randa Abdel-Fattah

    Randa Abdel-Fattah’s novels focus closely on cultural identity, teenage life, and the challenges faced by young people caught between cultures. Her novel, Does My Head Look Big in This?

    tells the story of a young Australian-Muslim girl deciding to wear the hijab full-time, navigating high-school life, friendship, and family expectations.

    If you like Alice Pung’s honest and relatable stories about identity and culture, Abdel-Fattah provides another accessible voice with genuine insight.

  5. Nam Le

    Nam Le’s fiction engages deeply with themes of migration, identity, and family tension across different cultural contexts.

    His short story collection, The Boat, has a wide-ranging and vivid approach to storytelling, showing sharply observed moments of human emotion and relationships across diverse situations.

    Readers drawn to Alice Pung's nuanced portrayals of family and identity will appreciate Nam Le’s thoughtful narrative style.

  6. Maxine Beneba Clarke

    Maxine Beneba Clarke writes with power and honesty, often exploring race, identity, and belonging. Her storytelling is direct and emotional, highlighting experiences of marginalization and resilience.

    Her collection Foreign Soil showcases vibrant, diverse voices and sheds light on hidden human stories.

  7. Michelle de Kretser

    Michelle de Kretser writes fiction that is thoughtful and richly detailed. Her novels focus on complex issues like migration, globalization, and identity, all presented in clear, precise prose.

    Her award-winning novel Questions of Travel offers sharply observed insights into the lives of characters navigating cultural spaces and borders.

  8. Hsu-Ming Teo

    Hsu-Ming Teo is an insightful author who captures human connections with warmth and clarity. She examines cultural expectations, family dynamics, and the immigrant experience in a straightforward way.

    Her novel Love and Vertigo explores the nuanced relationships within an immigrant family adjusting to life in Australia.

  9. Julie Koh

    Julie Koh mixes sharp satire and playfulness to examine contemporary society and its flaws. Her storytelling is inventive, funny, and often surreal.

    In her short-story collection Portable Curiosities, she humorously critiques cultural stereotypes, societal pressures, and consumer culture with wit and originality.

  10. Shaun Tan

    Shaun Tan creates extraordinary books that merge richly detailed artwork with quiet, thoughtful narratives. His stories engage deeply with themes of displacement, belonging, and imagination through visual storytelling and minimal text.

    In his beautiful book The Arrival, readers experience a touching, wordless narrative about migration and the challenges of starting anew.

  11. Diana Reid

    Diana Reid is an Australian author known for sharply observed stories about young adults navigating themes of friendship, identity, social pressures, and morality.

    In her novel Love & Virtue, Reid explores university life, complicated relationships, and the ethical dilemmas young women face, showcasing a clear-eyed honesty similar to Alice Pung's approach.

  12. Hoa Pham

    Hoa Pham writes novels and short stories often rooted in Vietnamese-Australian communities, blending cultural identity, migration, and spirituality with sensitivity and depth.

    In The Other Shore, Pham portrays a compelling story of exile, loss, and healing through the experiences of a young Vietnamese refugee gifted with psychic abilities. Like Pung, Pham tackles the complexity of cultural heritage and belonging in contemporary Australia.

  13. Tom Cho

    Tom Cho is an innovative writer who playfully blurs reality and fantasy, weaving quirky and thoughtful tales about identity, gender, and cultural expectations.

    His book Look Who's Morphing offers surreal stories packed with humor and pop-culture references, exploring personal transformation and the fluidity of identity.

    Readers who appreciate Alice Pung's exploration of identity and culture might enjoy Cho's original and humorous approach.

  14. Amy Tan

    Amy Tan is a master at capturing the experiences of mother-daughter relationships, generational differences, and immigrant American life.

    Her heartfelt and beautifully crafted novel The Joy Luck Club shares the stories of Chinese American women navigating family expectations, cultural tensions, and identity conflicts.

    Fans of Alice Pung's narratives about family heritage and cultural duality will find Tan's storytelling deeply relatable.

  15. Celeste Ng

    Celeste Ng addresses issues of race, family, and community in her emotionally rich writing. Her novel Little Fires Everywhere thoughtfully examines motherhood, privilege, and belonging within the intricate relationships of suburban life.

    Like Alice Pung, Ng engages readers through relatable characters dealing with subtle yet significant cultural differences within everyday experiences.