Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

14 reviews

rhiannonhoward's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

I picked up this book because the name was familiar and I saw that it had been adapted for Netflix (but my eyes are bad and I didn't feel up to watching TV). I went in having no idea what it was about and wow.. what a trip.

This tells a story set in suburban Queensland, Australia in the 70s-90s (a time that coincides with my own formative years). One of the main themes is focusing on detail and the way the author depicts this childhood brings back a huge number of sense-memories for me. Stubbies shorts, Burger Rings packets, sticky vinyl car seats, heat haze on bitumen roads, eating pineapple rings from Golden Circle cans...  spelling words upside down on calculators, rats-tail haircuts, Ninja Turtles Tshirts and school bags with band names written all over them, and even the brand of cheap plastic pens and the names of the supermarkets, had my brain buzzing with resonance.... less so with the gangs and criminals, thankfully.

Apparently, according to the notes at the back, this book is semi-autobiographical. The language used is no holds barred and rich with Australian profanity. If I had a buck for every time a child swears and then is told off by a swearing adult I'd have enough to buy pizza tonight. I guess given that parts of this book are more than 40 years ago this is almost "historical fiction" which is hammered home by the complete lack of cellphones, specific cameras and torches, and the telephones are for.. yknow, calling people? Not to mention that people still rely on actual Newspapers. Old school.

As a story about growing up with unable parents and in traumatic circumstances, there are parts of the story that are delivered unreliably. The main point of view is from a traumatised boy and his older brother who is mute. There are dreams, visions and prophecies that I am always a sucker for. The story is told poetically with key lines that repeat. The action is tense and at times unhinged, telling of connection, redemption, mental illness, morality and garden variety pain.

I really enjoyed this book. It was the sort of story that I wanted to put down at times, and just sit with and think over. Lots of weird stuff happened, and the unpredictability and predictability walked hand in hand down a content warning list as long as my arm.  Parts of it were utterly grotesque and parts of it were trippy, and all up it was satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Classism, Alcohol, Car accident, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Confinement, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Dementia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Infidelity

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Racism

kiwichill's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A tragic but funny book about growing up in a chaotic household where there is alcohol and drug addiction and domestic violence.  Parents are friends with ex criminals.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Blood, Cursing, Drug use, Bullying, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Gun violence, Trafficking, Drug abuse, and Excrement

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Car accident, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Torture, and Misogyny

miranda_coward03's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

There's something about Trent Dalton's writing that transports you to a different time and place. I have spent hours lost in the world of Eli Bell and I felt heartbroken leaving it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Toxic relationship, Gore, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders

waybeyondblue's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Blood, and Torture

Moderate: Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

Minor: Vomit, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

56bumblebees's review

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Excrement, and Ableism

mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Violence, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Cursing, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

everythingemily97's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, and Emotional abuse

meganjeg's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read which makes it so interesting when the subject matter is around suburban poverty, drugs, abuse and neglect.

For better or worse, I primarily read to be entertained and uplifted and whilst this book is many things, it isn’t those two. So it did take me a few sittings over a number of months to read this book. 

I would recommend spending time with Eli Bell and his dysfunctional family. It’s a coming of age story that swaps out cliches for the realities of generational trauma. Plus, a cracking crime story. 

This book is grim but spectacular. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing

Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts

booksforsarah's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I had trouble with this books pacing. At times there was intense actions scenes where I couldn’t put the book down, and then other times there was literally pages of internal monologue that had me nodding off. I think if the pace was a bit more consistent I would have enjoyed the reading experience a lot more. 

I can definitely appreciate the good writing, it probably just isn’t the book for me and that’s okay. 

As an Australian though, I loved it. I loved seeing references to Australian slang and brands and places ect and seeing my home country so explicitly represented 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence