KATHY LETTE is a million-copy bestselling writer and the author of 20 books that have been translated into 19 languages and adapted into movies, TV series and an opera.

Her latest novel, The Sisterhood Rules is a story about betrayal, love and, above all, the unbreakable bond between sisters.

AKINA HANSEN writes.

Author Kathy Lette co-wrote her debut, Puberty Blues, at just 17 – a novel that would go on to become an Australian cult classic and a foundational proto-feminist work. Over the decades, she has continued to pen books that celebrate women, filled with her sharp insights and trademark wit and humour. More recently, her work has focused on the joys and freedoms of womanhood in our later years. But the path to publication hasn’t been as smooth as she’d hoped.

‘A publisher told me not to write about middle-aged women because “they’re just not sexy”. “Older women are like Sudan or Mogadishu,” another publisher said, “We know they exist but nobody wants to go there.” Really? I thought. All my female friends are swinging off a chandelier with a toyboy between their teeth. We’re not in our 60s, but our sexties. I wanted to inspire older women to go forth and be fabulous and to have a sensational second act.

‘In fact, having invented “chick lit” and “mummy lit”, my new genre for women my age is “I-don’t-give-a-sh*t-lit,”’Kathy tells me.

In line with this, Kathy’s latest novel, The Sisterhood Rules, was born. The story follows 49-year-old estranged twin sisters, Isabel and Verity. When their mother, Nicole, goes missing – and is later found rollicking around with a younger lover, Gawain – they are aghast. Despite their mother’s assurances that she’s loving this new chapter of her life, filled with copious amounts of travel, sex and love, the sisters are sceptical and call a truce, determined to discredit Gawain together.

‘I’ve never fallen out with my sisters, but I have fallen out with a few close female friends. And the grief, pain and loss were horrendous; the breakup was just as painful as a romantic schism. The message of this novel is that women, whether sisters or in the sisterhood, should be each other’s big knickers – you’ve got her arse covered. Husbands come and go – but girlfriends stay faithful forever. Never let a penis come between us!’

Those of us who have been lucky enough to experience sisterhood know all too well that feeling of unconditional love and fierce loyalty. For Kathy, the bond between women has been a central theme in her books. It’s no wonder – she has three sisters herself and has spent her career championing the importance of these relationships.

‘Sisters possess a psychological shorthand; instinctively understanding each other. When one of us is going through a rough time, the other three rally with offers of chicken soup and/ or internal organs. If under attack, the wagons circle. Wagons? Who am I kidding. Having three formidable sisters on your side is like having a bombproof, flame-retardant armoured vehicle on hand for quick getaways. But sadly, many of my girlfriends have fallen out with their sisters. I wanted to write a book about sibling reconciliation.’

In The Sisterhood Rules Kathy explores the enduring and resilient nature of these relationships – especially in the face of infidelity. Five years earlier, Isabel’s husband, Johnny, cheated on her with her twin sister, Verity, leaving Isabel heartbroken and a single mother.

‘Sadly many men go straight for puberty to adultery. Every woman I know, including me, has been cheated on at some time or other.

I wanted to find out if there’s a way to forgive and move on … or if not, offer some top tips on how to take revenge!’

As the sisters spend more time together, they start to confront the ways they’ve judged themselves and others and begin to reassess what truly matters.

For Kathy, storytelling allows her to explore and confront issues that affect women in their everyday lives. ‘The depressing truth is that the world is not getting better for women … The conviction rate for rape is limbo-low and domestic violence figures sky-high; one in four women will be sexually assaulted or raped in her lifetime. But what the #MeToo movement proves is that the sisterhood is powerful. When women stick together, we can make the world a better place. If this novel has a motto it would be; stick to each other like a nylon dress in a heat wave.’ The Sisterhood Rules ultimately reminds readers of the power of womanhood and solidarity.

‘I’d like readers to celebrate and appreciate their female friends, be they sisters or in the sisterhood. Be the wind beneath each other’s bingo wings. I’d like to encourage women to have a sensational second act and put themselves first for the first time in their lives – and not let their guilt glands throb. And to keep getting horizontal. Women don’t give up sex when they get old; they get old when they give up sex.’

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5 THINGS PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT KATHY LETTE

1. I’m not that keen on cats or dogs. Perhaps the reason I don’t like animals is because I went out with so many as a teenager? I love some animals – koalas, kangaroos, quokkas, kiwis, dolphins, elephants, sea horses etc, just not domesticated ones. Pets are my pet peeve. In fact, maybe I’ll get a pet just so I can call it ‘peeve’. I’m also tempted to get a cat or dog to call Pulitzer – just so I can say that I have one!

2. I have three Honorary Doctorates. I’m thrilled about these accolades as I left school aged 16. The only examination I’ve ever passed is my cervical smear test. (Mind you, that’s the one you DO want to pass!) I’m an auto-didact. It means self taught; clearly it’s a word I taught myself! When the first Uni rang to enquire about the size of my head for the academic hat, I replied, ‘Well, it was much smaller before you asked me that question.’ I wouldn’t take the cap off. I wore it to the supermarket, the beach, in the shower … My sisters had to stage an intervention and wrench it off my cranium. The literary honour I crave though is the Companion of Literature, which is abbreviated to C. Lit. Now that really would rub me up the right way!

3. The best thing about being married to a human rights lawyer for all those years is the fact that we had a lot of interesting house guests staying in the attic – exiled PMs, banned poets, prisoners on the run … basically I’ve had everyone in my attic, except for Dorian Gray. I actually got to know Julian Assange so well that when the Simpsons were doing their 500th episode and wanted to feature Julian, they asked me to write his dialogue; although they cut my favourite line. There’s a scene where

Assange is cooking a barbecue and Marg Simpson tastes his marinade and asks for the recipe to which Julian replies, ‘I’m sorry, but I never reveal my sauces!’ Come on … it wasn’t bad at short notice!

4. When I was a teenager, Spike Milligan unofficially adopted me. Most teenagers are besotted by rebellious rock stars or cinematic Love Gods. But I was obsessed by a much more exotic, rare, enigmatic and entertaining species. The Milligan. When Spike was on tour, I hitchhiked around Australia after him … Now, hitchhiking means relying on the kindness of passing psychopaths, but I was willing to risk death just to be near the man I worshipped. We became great mates. He was the first person to read my work and see potential. It was a novel I was working on called, hilariously, ‘School Daze’ – which became Puberty Blues.

5. Other things you may like to know? I launched a ship on the Danube; worked as a jillaroo on a sheep station; studied opera and classical piano; tongue kissed Prince Harry … But my biggest highlight was being Writer in Residence at the Savoy Hotel London. I had my own suite on the river for months on end. The only thing I ever wrote were cheques for more champagne, but ah, parting was such suite sorrow.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I left school at 16 to become a writer…
And the only examination I have ever passed is my cervical smear test.

I penned my first novel Puberty Blues aged 17, as revenge on the surfie boys with whom I grew up. The blokes disproved the theory of evolution – they were evolving into apes.

The book became a cult classic proving that poetic justice is the only true justice in the world – and I say that having been married to a lawyer!

Visit Kathy Lette’s website