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kevinhaggerty 's review for:
Boy Swallows Universe
by Trent Dalton
4+ stars!! Definitely worth a read!!
My reasoning for keeping it sub-5 comes down to just a few matters of personal taste.
For one, the plot/subject matter was a bit more heavy-handed/aggressive/graphic than I’m used to. (Although, after adjusting, I ended up getting into it!)
Also, I enjoyed how Dalton’s fragmented style set up the novel’s end, but it ended up being a bit too much/too obscure at some points in the beginning and middle.
And some moments just didn’t quite click for me - it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when, but I remember at times not feeling convinced by the narrator’s or August’s
thoughts/actions.
At the end, despite being strong and engaging, it just didn’t quite knock me off my feet in the way a 5-star read would.
That said, this book really does shine when the key questions are resolved and the tension of Dalton’s prose finally clicks into place. The climax(es) packed major punches and I really couldn’t put the book down by the end.
Overall, I found it quite compelling and would certainly recommend to a friend!
My reasoning for keeping it sub-5 comes down to just a few matters of personal taste.
For one, the plot/subject matter was a bit more heavy-handed/aggressive/graphic than I’m used to. (Although, after adjusting, I ended up getting into it!)
Also, I enjoyed how Dalton’s fragmented style set up the novel’s end, but it ended up being a bit too much/too obscure at some points in the beginning and middle.
And some moments just didn’t quite click for me - it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when, but I remember at times not feeling convinced by the narrator’s or August’s
thoughts/actions.
At the end, despite being strong and engaging, it just didn’t quite knock me off my feet in the way a 5-star read would.
That said, this book really does shine when the key questions are resolved and the tension of Dalton’s prose finally clicks into place. The climax(es) packed major punches and I really couldn’t put the book down by the end.
Overall, I found it quite compelling and would certainly recommend to a friend!