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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Boy Swallows Universe is on the weird side of normal. Some bits smell Neil Gaiman, some smell like James Patterson (not in a bad way though, JP is just who comes to mind when I think “normal”). I enjoyed it
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holey shit. This book goes a lot of places, it really sticks the landing.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Trent Dalton said “Chekhov’s gun? Yea i guess I can do that”
4.5 stars. This book made me laugh and cry. Eli is a stand-out, emphatic narrator who is insightful, compassionate and resilient. This was a beautiful coming-of-age story set against a cruel and confronting world of crime and violence in 1980's Brisbane. It's difficult to read at times and I wanted to give Eli, his brother, his mother and even his dad a hug at times. The author has done a beautiful job of presenting these characters as whole and complex people, who can make both good and bad choices. This book felt like it would be in my top 10 of all time, but the climax of the book felt contrived - like it was written for a Hollywood blockbuster and quite different to the rest of the story. It was disappointing because it felt like it was written by a different author. So for that reason it wasn't the perfect book for me but it was close to it. Eli is a character who will be with me for a long time, and all the more because I understand this novel is inspired and based on events of the author's own childhood. This is a must-read and I would recommend it to everyone.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Every day of your life has been leading up to tomorrow. But of course every day of your life led up to today.”
“Adult men. Fucking adult men. Nutters, all of them. Can’t be trusted. Fucking sickos. Freaks. Killers. What was this man’s road to becoming Batman on a side street of inner-city Brisbane? How much good was in him? How much bad? Who was his father? What did his father do? What did his father not do? In what ways did other adult men fuck his life up?”
“Adult men. Fucking adult men. Nutters, all of them. Can’t be trusted. Fucking sickos. Freaks. Killers. What was this man’s road to becoming Batman on a side street of inner-city Brisbane? How much good was in him? How much bad? Who was his father? What did his father do? What did his father not do? In what ways did other adult men fuck his life up?”