Boy Swallows Universe

Set in Brisbane’s working-class suburbs in 1983, Boy Swallows Universe tells the coming of age story of Eli Bell, as he struggles with his dysfunctional family and the pursuit of love.

Ten-year-old Eli is trying to follow his heart, but his lost father, mute brother, heroin dealer stepfather Lyle, jailed mother, and felonious babysitter Slim, are proving quite the obstacles.

Praised by Nikki Gemmell as a ‘major new voice on the Australian literary scene’, by actor David Wenham as a ‘breath of fresh air’, by journalist Caroline Overington as a novel written ‘with grace, from [Dalton’s] own broken heart’, by Geoffrey Robertson QC as a ‘moving account of sibling solidarity’ and musician Tim Rogers as his ‘favourite novel for decades’, Boy Swallows Universe is a moving, unique take on 1980s Brisbane suburbia.

Click here for Trent Dalton’s introduction to Boy Swallows Universe!

Content supplied by Harper Collins Publishers Australia