Aussie author of "Puberty Blues" dies at 64
Gabrielle Carey, co-author of the iconic novel Puberty Blues, has passed away at 64.
The news was reportedly broken by Carey’s old friend and co-writer Kathy Lette, who was the other half of the creative powerhouse that brought Puberty Blues to life.
In a post to social media, Lette shared a throwback picture of the pair in their younger years, and wrote, “I’m deeply saddened by the tragic news about my old friend Gabrielle Carey.
“I have such happy memories of our teenage years. They were halcyon, heady days full of love, laughter and adventure.
“We made some mischief and broke some barriers by writing Puberty Blues – our raw, earthy take on the brutal treatment of young women in the Australian surfing scene which is sadly, still so relevant.
“My heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.”
The groundbreaking book they penned together, which went on to be adapted as both a movie and a hit TV series, was a candid - then-controversial - story of two teenage girls growing up in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.
It pushed boundaries, captivated young audiences while tackling themes many did not expect for said target audience, and is regarded by many as being the first Australian teenage novel to be written by teens.
From Puberty Blues, Carey went on to publish memoirs and nonfiction works, with another of her books - her 1984 Just Us, which covered her relationship with rapist and prisoner Terry Haley, who she married while he was imprisoned - also made into a telemovie in 1986.
No suspicious circumstances surrounded her death, according to The Australian, though the tragic news comes just months after she wrote about her father’s suicide in The Sydney Morning Herald.
At the time, Carey had revealed she was afraid of reaching 64, as that was when he too had passed on.
“It was only decades later, when my father died from suicide on the very day he turned 64, that I became terrified of that number,” she wrote. “If I have inherited my father’s disposition for depression, did that mean I would also end up in an early grave?
Carey’s early passing is one that has hit her friends and her fans hard, with many joining Lette in sharing their grief and their condolences on social media.
“Farewell dear Gabrielle. You were a sister in the cause of mental illness, its impact & our children. I’m enriched for having known you,” one supporter wrote. “Thank you.”
“Writer - Reader - Intellectual - Joycean (fanatical) - Elizabeth von Arnim devotee - Avid Gardener - Rose Petal Jam Maker - Football Follower - Kayaker - Yogi - Joker - Irrepressible Spirit - Hobbit - Underground Writer - My Friend,” friend and fellow writer Yumna Kassab wrote. “I will always miss you.”
“So sorry for your loss,” one fan said in response to Lette’s tweet. “You have no idea how much as a girl growing up in a coastal town with a surfing scene I understood Puberty Blues. I saw it every day. You & Gabrielle laid it all bare & made girls stand up for themselves. Thank you”.
“My deepest condolences Kathy,” another offered. “The two of you wrote something so treasured by Gen X girls. It was our ‘how to say no guide’. Our Teen handbook. But it still let us live our lives & learn as we went. RIP Gabrielle Carey.”
Images: Facebook