Boy Swallows Universe by Trent DaltonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of those rare books that I enjoyed so much in audio I now want to buy the e-book or a physical copy so I can highlight the oh-so-many delightful phrases and descriptions. (To say nothing of savoring the story for a second time.) Boy Swallows Universe is told from the perspective of 13-year-old Eli Bell, who is a smart, sharply observant kid being raised in dysfunctional mayhem. He looks up to his 14-year-old brother, who deals with the family trauma by refusing to speak, communicating instead by writing words in the air with his finger. Their mostly absent father is a violent alcoholic, their mother and stepdad are drug dealers, Eli’s closest friend and sometime babysitter, Slim, is one of Australia’s most notorious criminals who is famous for his repeated prison escapes.
Eli and his brother are exposed to horrors that would destroy almost anyone, yet he tells this coming-of-age story with humor, optimism and pathos. Slim, imparting wisdom that helps with prison escapes as well as writing, stresses to Eli the importance of paying attention to the details. As an aspiring novelist myself, I hear that advice repeatedly in craft books and courses. This novel is a master study in how to use details with a deft touch, to paint a vivid picture that will stay in your reader’s minds long after the book is over.
Netflix has made a series based on the book. I haven’t watched it yet, but I suspect that even if it is good, the book is almost certainly a much richer experience. If you are considering the audiobook, its narrator, Stig Wemyss, is wonderful.
View all my reviews
