The Family Law

"My family aren't the outdoors type. Despite being raised on the coast, Mum detested visits to the beach (all the sand it brought into the house), while Dad disapproved of wearing thongs. We never camped. All those things involved in camping - pitching a tent; cooking on open fires; the insects; shitting in the woods; sleeping on rocks; getting murdered and raped in the middle of nowhere - they never appealed to us. We preferred theme parks." Hilarious and moving, The Family Law is a linked series of tales from a born humorist. Benjamin Law invites readers into the world of his endearing yet profoundly eccentric family. Why won't his Chinese dad wear made-in-China underpants? Why was most of his extended family deported in the 1980s? Will Benjamin's childhood dreams of Home and Away stardom come to nothing? What are his chances of finding love?

Benjamin Law is a senior contributor to frankie magazine. His work has also appeared in the Monthly, the Big Issue, the Courier-Mail, Growing Up Asian in Australia and The Best Australian Essays. He lives in Brisbane.