Boy Swallows Universe

‘Without exaggeration, the best Australian novel I have read in more than a decade’ Sydney Morning Herald



The bestselling novel that has taken Australia, and the world, by storm. Winner of Book of the Year at the 2019 Indie Book Awards and winner of a record four Australian Book Industry Awards in 2019, including the prestigious Book of the Year Award.

Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It’s not as if Eli’s life isn’t complicated enough already. He’s just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way – not least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer.

But Eli’s life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He’s about to fall in love. And, oh yeah, he has to break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day, to save his mum.

A story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe will be the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novel you will read all year.

Awards:

2019 ABIA Book of the Year Award, Winner

2019 Indie Book Award, Winner

UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Winner

MUD Literary Prize 2019, Winner

2019 ABIA Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year, Winner

2019 ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Winner

2019 ABIA Audiobook of the Year, Winner

2019 Miles Franklin Literary Award, Longlisted

Reviews:

‘Boy Swallows Universe is a wonderful surprise: sharp as a drawer full of knives in terms of subject matter; unrepentantly joyous in its child’s-eye view of the world; the best literary debut in a month of Sundays.’ The Australian

‘Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak.’ Washington Post

‘This thrilling novel’ New York Times Book Review

‘Marvelously plot-rich … filled with beautifully lyric prose …At one point Eli wonders if he is good. The answer is \”yes,\” every bit as good as this exceptional novel.’ Booklist

‘Dalton’s splashy, stellar debut makes the typical coming-of-age novel look bland by comparison … This is an outstanding debut.’ Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

‘Extraordinary and beautiful storytelling’ Guardian

Format: Paperback
Imprint: HarperCollins AU
Publication date: 18/03/2019