Boy Swallows Universe, by Trent Dalton.
When his mum and Lyle go to the movies (deliver drugs to
third-tier dealers) the boys’ babysitter is Arthur ‘Slim’ Halliday, an elderly
ex-criminal friend of Lyle’s, who thrills Eli with stories of his time Inside,
and his attempts (some successful) to escape to the Outside but – despite a decidedly
unconventional upbringing and sporadic schooling, Eli has very few complaints about his life,
for he is loved by his family and loves them wholeheartedly in return.
Until Lyle makes a fatal mistake: his heroin supplier is Drug Lord Tytus Broz,
who has all the local counsellors and coppers in his pocket: he prizes loyalty above everything, and when
he learns that Lyle has done a sneaky side deal with another supplier, there is
only one solution: the annihilation of Eli’s
family, starting with Lyle, taken away who knows where, never to be seen
again; a trumped-up prison sentence for
Eli’s mum, and the amputation of Eli’s forefinger in an attempt to make August
reveal information even though he doesn’t speak. Eli’s precarious but carefree life is changed
forever by Tytus Broz and his goons, and whatever happens in the future is
beyond his control.
Or is it? For
Eli’s mum has always said that her two boys are special, and their next few
years in the custody of their alcoholic father (Child Custody Services getting
it right again!) turn out to be a time to gather strength, hone special skills,
search for Lyle’s hidden drug money – and plot an unexpected revenge.
Oh, this book is a delight! By turns horrifying and hugely funny (nothing
like humour to counter all the blood), Brent Dalton has created a family that
is special indeed: Gus, who speaks
volumes with the curl of a lip and the raising of an eyebrow, and Eli,
impulsive, impetuous, exuberant and bursting with life and ideas, good and
otherwise: this wonderful story should
be – DESERVES to be - an Australian classic.
SEVEN STARS!
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