In this fascinating new episode, step into rural Victoria as author and ADA alumna Georgia Rose Phillips explores with researcher Christy Newman the story behind The Bearcat— a powerful reimagining of the early life and family of Australia’s most notorious cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne who led the cult The Family. Told through the voices of Anne and her mother Florence, The Bearcat explores themes of motherhood, power and powerlessness, the inviolable grip of the past and the desperate search for belonging.

Georgia and Christy unpack the creative process behind crafting these layered characters, discuss the domestic sphere as both a site of refuge and entrapment in fiction, and reflect on society’s continuous fascination with cults. Plus, discover the story behind the novel’s striking title.