The Whitewash

Judges' Comments

Siang Lu’s cleverly titled satire defies easy description or definition. Presented as an oral history, it is at once a scathing critique of institutionalised racism, a biting commentary on social media and the 24-hour news cycle, a history of Hollywood and the Hong Kong film industry, and a touching contemporary love story.  

While set in various places across the globe, the issues it raises about Asian representation remain relevant to Australia, which so often takes its cues from Hollywood and has its own history of whitewashing. What will catch you by surprise, however, is just how funny the book is. Readers will be outraged, they will be educated, but most of all, they will be entertained.