BroadAgenda editor, Ginger Gorman, had a chat with legal scholar Emeritus Professor at UC, Patricia Easteal about her first work of fiction, Dancing with Demons.
Tell us who you are in a few sentences?
As an Emeritus Professor at UC and the owner of a consulting company that does research, Patricia offers online modules and provides expert evidence in the areas of family and sexual violence (and unconscious biases). From 2001 to 2018 as a Law School academic, I taught the subjects Women and the Law, Employment Discrimination and the Law and Family Law while publishing more than 20 academic books and reports that focus on women and the law (and the intersections with violence against women or VAW).
This work has been acknowledged with a number of awards including an ALTC Excellence Award in Teaching in 2008, being named the Australian of the Year for the ACT in 2010 and appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia the same year.
In a nutshell, what’s your new book Dancing with Demons about?
The cover of ‘Dancing with Demons.’
This is my first work of fiction.
It has been described as an idiosyncratic psychological novel. It is pitched particularly to those who enjoy a book that tackles heavy subjects with a light touch and novel approach.
It’s about the life and times of ‘Triple F,’ a North American Jewish woman who migrates to Australia with the legacies of family violence and dysfunction and sexual abuse. Triple F is the moniker for Daddy’s Princess Franny, the precocious survivor of family violence and sexual abuse; then Frankie, whose extended adolescence is spent numbing trauma’s toxic effects in unhealthy ways such as starvation and substance abuse that lead to the salvation of twelve-step programs; and finally, Francine for whom the transformative power of therapy teaches her to accept and dance with her demons.
The story is told largely through an intriguing and at times humorous line-up of people who have been a part of Triple F’s life and endure as an inner presence. These include a substantial cohort of mental health practitioners, Al-Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholism and Codependency Anonymous members, romantic partners, her PGA (Personal Guardian Angel), parents Henry and Miriam, sister Sandy, brother Jake and her four children.
Do you consider this to be a feminist book? If yes, why?
Definitely. It is written by me – a feminist. And the reader sees how feminism is born, develops and flourishes for Triple F despite, or perhaps because of, her upbringing in a family where the patriarch, Henry, was King.
Why have you included the themes of family violence and sexual abuse?
Although not a memoir, Dancing with Demons does draw extensively on my life experiences and academic expertise with family and domestic violence, sexual violence, its effects and recovering pathways.
Who are your main characters? Why is the therapist-patient narrative so important in this work?
The three main characters are the child Franny, teenager and young adult Frankie and Francine who migrates to Australia in her late 20s.
As I write in the book, although most of this story takes place during Franny and Frankie’s time, Francine, the ‘work in progress’, is seen and heard as she looks at her past selves and through the reflections of those who witness the post-trauma awakening and recovering years in the southern hemisphere.
Patricia Easteal. Picture: Supplied
The therapist-patient narrative is indeed crucial to the story. As stated in a Literary Titan review: “The dynamic between Francine and her therapist, Dr. Jaye, is a key element in the narrative, showcasing the therapeutic process as a means of self-reflection and empowerment. Dr. Jaye’s role in Francine’s story emphasizes the importance of taking ownership of one’s healing journey, a central theme in Dancing with Demons.”
What are you hoping your readers will take away about abuse, resilience, trauma, and healing?
The same reviewer accurately captured the essence of what I hope readers take away: “Easteal’s work is a profound exploration of the complexities of surviving trauma, particularly in contexts rife with abuse, addiction, and violence… She portrays recovery as a multifaceted journey, one that requires the protagonist to confront and reconcile with deep-seated inner turmoil. Even as Francine makes strides in her healing process, Easteal realistically presents the lasting impacts of her past, highlighting that growth often involves grappling with ingrained behaviors and responses shaped by prior adversities.”
You’ve mixed up genres in this work. Why have you done that?
Writing with different literary styles wasn’t a conscious decision but an organic process.
The story is told by those who have passed through Triple F’s life and continue to live rent-free in her head. As some of these cerebral residents – such as husband #3 Richard – are academics, the novel at times does have a scholarly tone. In other chapters though, the 12 step program members and the mental health practitioners who play a major role in Triple F’s recovering journey, conjure up a self-help ‘feel’ to the book. And readers may find that in parts of Dancing with Demons, they feel as though they’re in a theatre.
By taking the reader within the mind of a person experiencing and recovering from traumas and by its original writing style, Dancing with Demons offers fresh and original insights into the violence against women space.
Is there anything else you want to say?
As an academic, author and advocate I have been dedicated to turning on mental light bulbs: helping people to understand their unconscious biases and how these affect the legal and community response to VAW. In Dancing With Demons, I also want to turn on switches and, with humour and tears, foster more understanding.
You can find out more about the book here.
- Please note: Picture at top is a stock image.
Ginger Gorman is a fearless and multi award-winning social justice journalist and feminist. Ginger’s bestselling book, Troll Hunting,came out in 2019. Since then, she’s been in demand both nationally and globally as an expert on cyberhate and the real-life harm predator trolling can do. She's also the editor of BroadAgenda and gender editor at HerCanberra. Ginger hosts the popular "Seriously Social" podcast for the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Follow her on Twitter.
