Puberty Blues, the 1979 autobiographically-inspired novel by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette, was one of the first literary explorations of the Australian surf culture to be written and narrated from a female point of view, and is widely considered one of the most iconic coming-of-age texts in contemporary Australian literature. In 1981 Bruce Beresford took the story of the two teenage girls Debbie Vickers and Sue Knight and their experiences with gender politics, alcohol and sex and turned it into a popular movie. Now, 30 years later, Channel Ten is adapting the story to the small screen for an eight-part series that will screen this year.
With television’s recurring popular trend toward period pieces (Mad Men, Underbelly, Downton Abbey), Channel Ten would be banking on the whole Seventies surf setting as a big draw card for viewers. It will also be interesting to see how the novel’s central themes of sexual politics, peer pressure and male chauvinism will be dealt with in retrospect, considering times have changed a little in three decades. That said, there are also plenty of moments within the text that defy the bounds of the generational cycle, such as the scene where 13-year-old Debbie has her first sexual encounter:
Debbie: [during attempted sex] It’s hurting.
Chris: Keep still.
Thank god for getting old.
Via SMH
