‘I’ll have the avocado salad,’ she says to the waiter with the understated grace that is a trademark of her Miles Franklin Award–winning prose. A passerby wouldn’t guess it, but this woman, who chose the avocado salad after seriously contemplating the mushroom risotto, has just released her seventh critically acclaimed novel. And this time, just like her decision not to add the poached chicken for an additional $4.50, it comes with its share of controversy. Her latest tome, which tackles the difficult topic of government censorship, has been banned in six countries. Naturally, I decide to address the elephant in the room straightaway.

‘Why did you go with the vinaigrette dressing when they suggested a citrus dressing?’ I ask. Breaking with the politeness she learned from a childhood spent on Sydney’s lower north shore, she is blunt, telling me that citrus gives her heartburn.