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A review by simonmartin
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
5.0
is this the great australian novel???
a gripping 500 pages that flew by; not a word wasted nor an unnecessary moment included. this story checks so many of my boxes, effortlessly morphing between a gripping crime thriller, family drama, and a coming-of-age story with touches of magical realism and gory horror, a setting that could fit comfortably within the burgeoning australian gothic aesthetic/scene/whatever and a dry, darkly funny wit threaded throughout its prose. the last 100 pages or so really ramp things up, and are extremely entertaining if potentially a little unbelievable given how grounded the south brisbane setting feels earlier in the novel. this can be forgiven - as our charming teenaged protagonist eli bell states, all good storytellers need to know how to bullshit, and with boy swallows universe he has proven himself a storyteller of the highest caliber.
a gripping 500 pages that flew by; not a word wasted nor an unnecessary moment included. this story checks so many of my boxes, effortlessly morphing between a gripping crime thriller, family drama, and a coming-of-age story with touches of magical realism and gory horror, a setting that could fit comfortably within the burgeoning australian gothic aesthetic/scene/whatever and a dry, darkly funny wit threaded throughout its prose. the last 100 pages or so really ramp things up, and are extremely entertaining if potentially a little unbelievable given how grounded the south brisbane setting feels earlier in the novel. this can be forgiven - as our charming teenaged protagonist eli bell states, all good storytellers need to know how to bullshit, and with boy swallows universe he has proven himself a storyteller of the highest caliber.