This book is fantastic and it's so easy to see why it has so much hype surrounding it.

It is a memoir of sorts (the author states it's around 50/50 facts and fantasy) - the main character Eli Bell being based on Dalton himself - alongside his mute brother August (Gus), his drug user mother, her drug dealer boyfriend and his babysitter, the real life prison escapee Arthur 'Slim' Halliday.

It's a fantastic coming-of-age story, following Eli and how he navigates his world between the ages of 13 and 18. Those last three chapters were brilliant and had me hooked to see what would happen.

I didn’t finish this book as it was too really and gritty for me. I also struggled to gel with the narrative style.
The characters seemed quite unrealistic and the jumping from one scene to another did not help me engage.

A coming of age story set in Brisbane in the 1980s. It is partly based on the author's own life and is an incredible tale of a dysfunctional family. With drug dealing, criminal activity and violence at its heart this is not always an easy read. But the voice of the young narrator, Eli is superb and you are drawn into his tale. Eli and his brother are wonderful characters and will stay with you after you've stopped reading the novel. An Impressive story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Hard hitting, gritty, raw and brutal in parts this explores the scars of a tough upbringing and what it means to find your identity, love and a drive for survival

This book was not what I expected. Having read some Australian novels recently that I have enjoyed I was expecting something a bit lighter. I found the subject matter too difficult, however this is my personal opinion.

This book revolves around three word sentences so here are mine: Five full stars(/moons).

I admit this book puzzled me at first. The writing wasn't what I was expecting and the first few chapters are the kind that make sense at the end. But boy, am I glad I read on. Not only was this book highly refreshing and original, it is one of the best books I've read so far this year.

A remarkable story that is raw, emotional, and brimming with feeling.

Eli doesn't have the most normal of lives. His brother doesn't talk (out of choice) and communicates with gestures, eye contact, and finger air signs. His mum and step-dad love him but are a little side-tracked by their underground heroin business. Oh and his babysitter is a convicted murderer.

I can't even express what I loved so much about this book. The Australian slang and language took me back to the days I lived there (having an Australian husband also helped clear up any puzzling words). The setting was so clear in my head, I had a picture of each character and was lost in the realism. My disbelief at finding out that most of the events were not only true stories but many witnessed by the author just made the story even more poignant and terrifying.

This book is written in a way that will never age. It will be a classic for years to come. And it wholeheartedly deserves every credit it receives. The author has an incredible way with words, and this one will stay with me for a very long time.

That's all that really needs to be said. Three words again: just read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This coming-of-age drama follows the life of Eli Bell, growing up in Brisbane with his mute brother, drug-dealing stepfather and notorious criminal babysitter. Life doesn’t seem too bad, until Eli’s stepfather vanishes, his mother gets arrested and he and his brother have to go and live with their drunk father. And the complications don’t stop there.

The plot of Boy Swallows Universe was a bit intense and slow to develop for me. I actually considered DNF-ing it a few times. The book isn’t bad at all; it’s interesting and well-written with unique and likeable characters, but it did feel very long and slow and it took me a really long time to get into it.

However, I’m glad I stuck with it, because Eli Bell was one of my all-time favourite book characters. He had a truly fantastic narrative voice, managing to be funny, relatable and extremely likeable throughout the book. There were also a lot of other excellent characters. Augustus (Eli’s brother) was very interesting with some unexpected complexities, and I completely adored Caitlyn Spies and Slim. Eli’s relationship with Brisbane’s most notorious criminal was one of the most endearing things I’ve ever read.

This novel is full of life, love and surprises. It’s worth the effort.

This is the story of 12 year old Eli Bell who lives with mum Frances and stepdad Lyle in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. Eli is growing up in a time of poverty and crime - indeed his mum is a drug addict and Lyle a drug dealer. Eli also has an older brother named August who is selectively mute following a traumatic past event.
Due to angering the local drug lord Tytus Broz, Eli's stepfather is taken one night, never to be seen again and before long his mum ends up in prison leaving Eli and August to navigate life alone.
I did finish this book which was well written but I honestly did not enjoy it as I found it very surreal and more than a touch depressing at times. Just not my thing unfortunately.
Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting, but then I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. It’s a stunning story which takes the reader through the seedy crime underworld of Brisbane and a whirlwind of emotions, all through the eyes of a young boy called Eli. It’s a coming of age drama and a gritty crime, with a little surreal magic realism thrown in. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like it.

In the beginning I did struggle a little to connect with the story as the writing is quite abstract in places, but it’s beautifully written and the story builds slowly allowing the reader time to connect with the characters before the plot really gets going. Eli is obsessed with details; those little things in life which others don’t notice. He’s told by his beloved babysitter and infamous ex-con Slim “These are your sunshine hours, and you can make them last forever if you see all the details.” This book takes the time to meander through all those beautiful, insignificant details, and opens the reader’s eyes to the fact that they may not be so insignificant after all.

“Your end is a dead blue wren.”

These are the first words Eli’s mute brother August speaks after years of silence. August is old beyond his years and knows things he shouldn’t, but in a way both of these boys are special. The book starts when Eli is 13 and he’s already gone through much more than a young boy should have to endure. His mother left his father after a traumatic car crash and found a life of crime, became a heroin addict then had a long, dramatic comedown as she finally came off it. And so much more which I don’t want to spoil, but through all of this, these young boys watch on and take it all in their stride. This life is so removed from my own, and the way their lifestyle is narrated in such an off-hand manner by such a young protagonist felt a little unsettling for me to start with, but I grew to care for Eli and his incredibly dysfunctional family. When I found out this book was semi autobiographical, I was blown away. The author’s note is a must-read, and that, coupled with the cpic final chapters, pushed this book from a strong 4 to a 5-star read for me.

“I wanted…to turn all these crazy and sad and tragic and beautiful things I’ve seen into a crazy, sad, tragic and beautiful story…All of me is in here. Everything I’ve ever seen. Everything I’ve ever done.”

This book ha an amazing ending, with so much subtle drama weaved throughout the story I wasn’t expecting such a big finale, but it’s the best final fee chapters I’ve read in quite a while.

I tried to read this but for some reason I thought it would be a light-hearted read. It's not !

Due to previous personal experiences it just was a bit too difficult for me to read. Hopefully one day will be able to. The writing was good and seems like an interesting story.

If 'Boy Swallows Universe' isn't shortlisted for a number of literary awards this year I will be very surprised, and sorely disappointed.

This book follows on with the current trend lately for disjointed narratives. The story is linear but Eli (the protagonist) often takes us off on a side tangent, and the way it is done is utterly charming. You cant help but get swept along by his story telling, then suddenly you're back in the main storyline but with a little further insight into the workings of Eli and those around him.

I did really enjoy this book, Eli is a little charmer. His parents aren't perfect people, in fact they're probably the worst possible people to be parents, but Eli helps you to see the good within them, and that's a common thread in this story the difference between 'Good' people and 'bad' people. Like me you may also get a kick out of the fact that Eli and his brothers babysitter is a convicted killer (contributing even further to the good people/bad people concept)
In fact I enjoyed this book so much, that it's not until I started writing this review that I realised there were a lot of questions raised in this book that were never really answered, but there is such an air of mystery surrounding the whole story it kind of doesn't matter.
I would definitely recommend this book.

Boy Swallows Universe is a coming of age story of two brothers set in the tough suburbs of Brisbane, Australia among a background of drugs, poverty and violence.

The writing is sublime, the story is compelling and Eli and August are wonderfully crafted characters. Being a huge rugby league fan I loved the references to the the great players from the 80's, all of which I have had the pleasure to see play.

I look forward to more books from Trent Dalton and highly recommend this one!

!Twelve year old Eli Bell lives with his mum Frances and stepdad Lyle. They live in the Brisbane suburbs. He has an older brother Gus who does not speak. He stopped talking years ago after a traumatic event. Frances and Lyle are drug dealers. The babysitter is a notorious ex-criminal called Slim. Slim is based on a real life character. Eli and Gus spend most of their time with Slim, they also face some difficult life events.

There are many humerus parts to this book but there is also just as many extremely violent parts as well. The descriptions are very graphic,of which some readers will not like. Trent Dalton, and his brothers actually endured many of the events in the book, the only real difference is he only wrote about one brother. Slim was also famous for escaping prison. The story is a mix of fact and fiction and it's beautifully written. The story covers abuse, estrangement and abandonment, to name a few. I do recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Trent Dalton for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me ages to settle down to read this book but it really is worth it in the end. Strong character development and an edge of life grittiness sets this book apart. It has you laughing and crying in equal parts.

This book sat on my virtual shelf for a few weeks before I started to read it. I don't think I knew what to expect as I try not to read too many reviews before reading a book. Too many spoilers.

Eli Bell lives with his older brother August, his mum Frances and his mother's boyfriend Lyle, who they all love. He is the father figure. It all sounds pretty grim in suburban Brisbane. Drugs and organised crime, gangs etc. But this story really grips you, some parts there is no holding back on what happens, but then things move swiftly on and they can move on by a year or so. The book starts when Eli is 13 and finishes when he is 19. August is a year older and has been mute since he was six.

The book is a mixture of truth, fiction and fantasy, it is about Eli coming of age, it is also about how despite being brought up in a house where drugs are part of everyday life, you can overcome and succeed.

This certainly wasn't the book I was expecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book is written from the perspective of Eli Bell, who's a bit of a potty mouth child with thoughts and intellect beyond his age. The fact he seems above his age really works well in this book because Eli has gone through so many things someone his age wouldn't even know about.

There's not a single thing I can fault about this book. The fact that a lot of this is taken and based on memories of Trent's actual childhood is simply shocking and makes you wonder how much he went through as a child with the crime, domestic abuse etc. I have just read an interview by the author and I recommend everyone else to do so too once they've finished reading the book.

I actually didn't realise Slim Halliday was an actual person, but I found him to be such a mesmerising character with a lot of hidden qualities. It kind of makes me wish I'd been around at the time to get to know the guy. None of his crimes are at the forefront of my mind whenever he enters the book, just all the wisdom and kindness he has to give. I felt very drawn to him, and along with Eli and August, he's my favourite character - I really wish he'd written an autobiography!

There are a lot of things in this book that are very unique to it like the red telephone. Every time August would be creating the moon pool, I would get so much beautiful imagery in my mind. Like Eli, August's intellect and thought processes feel very mature. In some ways he feels the more stable of the two characters, but in other ways (the fact he's mute and writes messages in the air) he seems far more broken.

I hardly ever buy books in paperback anymore and read on my Kindle to save space and money, but I will be buying the paperback of this book (I only do this for my favourite books). It's worth the extra money and the space on my bookshelf - a beautiful story with a beautiful book cover.

It took me a while to get into this book, but I'm so pleased I carried on. It's a really original tale full of the best and worst of humanity and love in unexpected places. Eli made me laugh and cry in equal measure and I think he will always own a little piece of my heart.
Thank you to netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book

The challenging life of Australian brothers Eli and August. It took me a little while to tune in to the writing style - fast and furious. When I did I found it rather choppy and did not enjoy the subject matter - drug dealing, bullying... I bailed out about a quarter of the way in.

I have heard many good things about this book so was very excited to read it.
I did find it a little disjointed and hard to get into at the end and found myself wondering what was going on, but the speed of the story and my wanting to read it as fast as I could, kicked in at around the halfway point, as I was eager to know what happened.
A story that was sad, funny, happy, full of fear and hope, all at once!
We follow two brothers through some very troubling times in their lives, and who have an ex-con as their mentor, even after he passed away, guiding them through some tough situations.
I cannot adequately describe this book, in a way that gives it the credit it deserves.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The story should be dark and harrowing given everything that happens to Eli but somehow it's still a novel of joy, hope and wonder. The slightly fragmented start makes perfect sense as you come to the end of the book, with every single loose thread tying up perfectly. I'd definitely recommend this book to others.