THE PULLING by Adele Dumont is shortlisted for the Non-fiction category of the 2025 Prime Minister's Literary Awards, presented by Creative Australia and Writing Australia.
12 August, 2025
The Pulling is shortlisted for the 2025 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that The Pulling has been selected as one of five shortlisted entries in the Nonfiction category, out of 645 entries received across the six award categories. The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards acknowledge the contribution of Australian literature to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life. This is the first year that the awards will be delivered under Writing Australia.
These authors will share in a tax-free prize pool of $600,000, the highest literary prize in the nation.
The winners of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards will be announced on 29 September at The National Library of Australia.
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The Pulling
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIME MINISTER'S LITERARY AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LITERARY AWARDS
When I’ve been overtaken, I have stood and watched the water in my porridge simmer away into the air, and then the oats turn black and crackle with dryness, and my ears fill with the smoke alarm’s shriek.
When Adele Dumont is diagnosed with trichotillomania — compulsive hair-pulling — it makes sense of much of her life to date. The seemingly harmless quirk of her late teens, which rapidly developed into almost uncontrollable urges and then into trance-like episodes, is a hallmark of the disease, as is the secrecy with which she guarded her condition from her family, friends, and the world at large.
The diagnosis also opens up a rich line of inquiry. Where might the origins of this condition be found? How can we distinguish between a nervous habit and a compulsion? And how do we balance the relief of being ‘seen’ by others with our experience of shame?
The Pulling is a fascinating exploration of the inner workings of a mind. In perfectly judged prose, both probing and affecting, Dumont illuminates how easily ritual can slide into obsession, and how close beneath the surface horror and darkness can lie.
