Boy Swallows Universe
The best book I read this decade. --Sharon Van Etten in Rolling Stone
"Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. . . . Eli's remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what's possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvelous." --Washington Post
A thrilling (New York Times Book Review) novel of love, crime, magic, fate and a boy's coming of age in 1980s Australia, named one of the best literary fiction titles of 2019 by Library Journal.
Eli Bell's life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli's life is Slim--a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes--who watches over Eli and August, his silent genius of an older brother.
Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a neglected suburb populated by Polish and Vietnamese refugees, this twelve-year-old boy with an old soul and an adult mind is just trying to follow his heart, learn what it takes to be a good man, and train for a glamorous career in journalism. Life, however, insists on throwing obstacles in Eli's path--most notably Tytus Broz, Brisbane's legendary drug dealer.
But the real trouble lies ahead. Eli is about to fall in love, face off against truly bad guys, and fight to save his mother from a certain doom--all before starting high school.
A story of brotherhood, true love, family, and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe is the tale of an adolescent boy on the cusp of discovering the man he will be. Powerful and kinetic, Trent Dalton's debut is sure to be one of the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novels you will experience.
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Classics Contemporary Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Literature & Fiction
Customer Reviews
Rated 4 starsgood
i thought it was good, not bad but not great either. plot was definitely interesting and i think i was expecting a little more intensity maybe? more angst, more/(different?) spice, but there is definitely a good deal of fluff i feel, especially from mmc thoughts/feelings. i got through it fast, but also not dying and excited to want reread so soon
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Rated 2 starsTerrible
Just can't get past the r*pe CHAPTER. It was a whole chapter. He even says that its SA and does it to her again after he discovers her history with SA. And there's no inner dialogue of regret from him at this point or attraction from her. The rest of the book just doesnt make up for this.
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Rated 5 starsPowerful, sensual, original - WHAT A DISCOVERY!!
To Have and To Hold is my first novel to read by Patricia Gaffney and it will certainly not be my last. This was such a fantastic book in so many ways! Not only is the storyline highly unusually for romance writing, it is also very engrossing. Both leads are written with a great amount of depth and progress beyond all standards of typical romance character growth. This is a novel that you will make time to keep reading...
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Rated 5 starsThe best romance novel I've ever read - still
Four years after first reading it I this still love this book just as much, and ther romance website AAR has done a survey of its readers on their favorites among Gaffney's novels, and this book came in in #1. Updating my review from March of 1999, which 20 of 22 people found helpful: This is my favorite romance novel; it is also one of the darkest love stories I've ever read. An extraordinary book unlike anything you'll...
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Rated 5 starsdark, somewhat disturbing and absolutely wonderful!
I had not ever heard of this author until recenly when I came across her while perusing a listmania on favorite romances on this site. I was immediately intrigued by the plot and decided to buy it. I am so glad I did! This is a wonderful romance full of darkness and love and intrigue.Sebastian Verlaine inherits the title of viscount from a cousin and moves to the village of Wyckerley not to take his newly acquired responsibility...
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