Fiction Review: Boy Swallows Universe

Last month, I listened to another #BigBookSummer audio book, Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. I’d never read anything by Dalton before, and I enjoyed this story of a boy who works hard to save his family.

 

Twelve-year-old Eli Bell lives in Australia, in a neglected suburb of Brisbane called Darra, and has an unusual life. His mother and step-father are heroin dealers, his older brother, Gus, is mute, and his best friend (and babysitter) is an elderly, notorious felon named Slim who is known for his multiple prison escapes. That’s a LOT for Eli and Gus to deal with, and their childhood is far from normal. His parents are under the control of a dangerous drug dealer named Tytus, who is tied in with the local Vietnamese drug trade in Eli’s neighborhood. Eli’s dream is to someday become a news reporter, but at the moment, that seems very far off, as he worries about his parents, his brother, and keeping his family out of even bigger trouble. As you might guess from that set-up, Eli doesn't have an easy life, and things get a whole lot worse for him and Gus as the novel progresses. But Eli is clever and determined and has learned a lot from his buddy, Slim.

 

This novel has a unique writing style, and the story is told from Eli’s first-person perspective. I listened to it on audio and enjoyed it that way, though it took me a chapter or two to adjust to the Australian accent and unique stream-of-consciousness of Eli’s narrative. The unusual syntax of the three-word chapter titles (and the book title itself) becomes clear later in the novel. There are lots of moving parts to this intricate story, but they all come together in the end. It’s a suspenseful but warm-hearted novel with a very satisfying conclusion.

464 pages, Harper Perennial

HarperAudio

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

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Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, as Eli describes a recurring dream he has, and a scene with his brother, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

   
  

Or you can order Boy Swallows Universe from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.