AustLit logo
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen i(14873528 works by)
Gender: Female
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 Personal and Political : Yumna Kassab’s ‘Constellation Novel’ Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2024 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 462 2024; (p. 41)

— Review of Politica Yumna Kassab , 2024 single work novel

'‘The personal is political’ is an axiom that has become ubiquitous. Normally used within the context of feminist activism, in Yumna Kassab’s latest novel – for which it serves as the epigraph – it is a reminder of the human sacrifice of war and how every part of a civilian’s life reflects its surroundings.' (Introduction)

1 Suzy Garcia (ed.) New Australian Fiction 2023 Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 4-10 November 2023;

— Review of New Australian Fiction 2023 2023 anthology short story

'“Great writing is about the outer things that point to the inner,” a character says in Julie Koh’s “On the Road”. That captures the spirit of Kill Your Darlings’ fifth annual New Australian Fiction anthology, which collects unusual stories that reveal more on multiple readings.' (Introduction)   

1 Madeleine Gray : Green Dot Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 30 September - 6 October 2023;

— Review of Green Dot Madeleine Gray , 2023 single work novel

'Is there anything more deeply cursed than being a woman in your 20s? Novelists have been mining this period of life for years, but few get it as well as Madeleine Gray, whose debut, in a droll internet-style voice, hits the nail on the head. Reading this book was like being thrust underneath an X-ray machine and seeing all the most repulsive parts of myself; like picking at a scab repeatedly, knowing it will scar but delighting in the sick sensation. Disgusting! More please!' (Introduction)

1 The Fortunes : A Triptych of Intergenerational Experience Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 455 2023; (p. 40)

— Review of After the Rain Aisling Smith , 2023 single work novel

'Melbourne author Aisling Smith’s début begins with a question that snakes the whole way through her novel: ‘What has happened to Benjamin?’' (Introduction)   

1 Grace Yee Chinese Fish Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 1-7 July 2023;

— Review of Chinese Fish Grace Yee , 2023 single work novel

'Home and displacement sit side by side in Chinese Fish. Inhabiting multiple perspectives, Grace Yee’s polyphonic verse novel follows a family suspended between two cultures over two decades, from their resettlement in New Zealand from Hong Kong in the 1960s through to grief and loss.' (Introduction)   

1 Search History by Amy Taylor Review – Sharp and Pacy Cautionary Tale for the Extremely Online Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 May 2023;

— Review of Search History Amy Taylor , 2023 single work novel
1 Jacky Review – Incredibly Uncomfortable, Thoughtful Theatre Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 29 May 2023;

— Review of Jacky Declan Furber Gillick , 2021 single work drama
1 André Dao Anam Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 6-12 May 2023;

— Review of Anam André Dao , 2023 single work novel
1 Musician Amanda Brown Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 1-7 April 2023;
'Amanda Brown is best known for her work with The Go-Betweens, but it’s just one part of a long and distinguished career. By Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen.'
1 The Sublime and the Intimate Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2023;

— Review of Moon Sugar : A Novel Angela Meyer , 2022 single work novel
1 ‘I Broke Out in a Cold Sweat’ : Could You Stomach Seeing Your Memories of Bullying Play Out on TV? Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 15 February 2023;

— Review of Bad Behaviour Pip Karmel , Magda Wozniak , 2023 series - publisher film/TV

'Bad Behaviour author Rebecca Starford and the team behind a dramatisation of her memoir reflect on how they recreated her frightening account of her elite boarding school'

1 Higher Education by Kira McPherson Review – Post-millennial Malaise Novel Falls Flat Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2023 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 10 February 2023;

— Review of Higher Education Kira McPherson , 2023 single work novel

'A coming of age campus novel tackling class, sex and power, McPherson’s debut promises a lot to chew on – but it’s all a little too dry'

1 Behind the Scene Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2022;

— Review of Raised by Wolves : A Memoir with Bite Jess Ho , 2022 single work autobiography
1 Yellow Invisibility Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , November 2022;

— Review of The Whitewash Siang Lu , 2022 single work novel
1 Ever Had a Weirdly Intense Friendship? Tommi Parrish’s Latest Book Is for You Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 11 November 2022;

— Review of Men I Trust Tommi Parrish , 2022 single work graphic novel

'The Australian artist and author spent three years hand-painting Men I Trust, a graphic novel about a relationship that becomes uncomfortably ambiguous' (Publication summary)

1 Cyrano Review – Virginia Gay Shines in This Bold, Queer Reimagining Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 14 October 2022;

— Review of Cyrano Virginia Gay , 2021 single work drama
'After being scuppered by a snap lockdown in 2021, Gay’s highly anticipated take on Cyrano turns out to have been worth waiting for'
1 K-BOX Review – K-pop and Loneliness in Surreal Family Drama Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 13 September 2022;

— Review of K-Box Ra Chapman , 2020 single work drama
1 Looking for Alibrandi Review – A Moving Stage Show of a Beloved Novel Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 15 July 2022;

— Review of Looking for Alibrandi Vidya Rajan , 2022 single work drama
'Chanella Macri is bolshy and brash as Josie Alibrandi – one of several excellent performances in this adaptation of Melina Marchetta’s young adult novel.'
1 Wolf Like Me Review – So Bad It’s Good? No, Just the Former Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 January 2022;

— Review of Wolf Like Me Abe Forsythe , 2022 series - publisher film/TV

'This Stan/Peacock series, starring Isla Fisher and Josh Gad in a mysteriously toxic relationship, has great talent behind it and absolutely no subtlety.'

1 The Process of Belief Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , August 2021;

— Review of The Believer Sarah Krasnostein , 2021 single work non-fiction
X