Mathur, P. (2026). Interpersonal Relationships in Asian Immigrant Families Portrayed in Award-nominated Young Adult Novels by Asian Australian Authors. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2026.2650896
Multicultural Australian young adult (YA) novels offer authentic, relatable narratives with themes that connect deeply with adolescent readers. Many multicultural YA authors embody their personal experiences, feature their culture, community and family dynamics in their novels and spotlight themes that tend to be culturally distinctive as well as progressively universal. The focus of this research was to investigate power dynamics within Asian immigrant families portrayed in Australian YA novels and the broader societal implications of those representations. This qualitative study used Critical Content Analysis methodology alongside Youth Lens Theory to interpret and analyse four award-nominated YA novels written by self-identified Asian Australian authors. During three rounds of close readings, critical incidents highlighting the impact of parental expectations on the adolescent protagonists were noted in the form of analytic memos. These lead to relevant codes, categories and two prominent overarching themes: emphasis on ‘family first’ and negligence of mental and emotional health. The study reveals hidden complex layers of interpersonal relationships in immigrant Asian Australian families, and highlights various implications for adolescent readers, teacher librarians, parents/caregivers, public service professionals and publishing industry professionals.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24750158.2026.2650896
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