Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

How I Heard About It:  After reading a couple of extraordinary reviews of this novel published for adults, I ordered it from Amazon and began reading as soon as it arrived.  Life got busy and other books got in the way, so it took me a bit of time to get through and finish the novel.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  
1.  *Eli is a young boy growing up in the 1980's in Australia.  

2.  *His mother has drug issues and in jail, his father is missing, his step-father is a drug dealer, and his older brother August doesn't speak.




3.  *He does have one positive adult influence in his life; Slim who is a former convict who is notorious for escaping prison the most amount of times.

4.  *Slim does his best for both Eli and August and they are thankful for him because he tries to provide them with a bit of normalcy.  

5.  *Eli has a difficult life and seems to always have something coming up against him.  With all of his might, he continues down the road of life trying to stay on the positive course versus the alternative.  


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *At first I found the writing of the story difficult to follow.  I found myself having to reread sections in order to understand what was being said.  After awhile I did become use to the structure.

2.  *The cast of characters is what kept me reading.  Even though most of them were negative and harsh people, I was drawn to Eli and his fight for making things right in his world.  

3.  *It is hard to believe that parts of this story are based on the authors own experiences.  Eli had to deal with more than any adult should have to face, and he was only eleven years old.  

4.  *The writing was very detailed and descriptive without a log of dialogue.  I don't normally enjoy this type of format so I did find myself skimming at times during the reading.  

5.  *The theme of hope and finding "normal" was a prime focus and one that made me cheer for Eli and hope for the best in all that he had to endure.  


Who Should Read It:   This novel isn't for everyone.  The book is very long, the writing is quite detailed, and at times the plot moves a bit slow.  I do know some readers have raved about the story and gave it five stars.  This adult novel is definitely for the "advanced" reader of intellectual literature.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:   3 STARS out of 5 Stars!