"e;The best book I read this decade."e; Sharon Van Etten inRolling StoneBoy Swallows Universehypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. . . . Elis remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of whats possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvelous. Washington PostA"e;thrilling"e; (New York Times BookReview)novel of love, crime, magic, fate and a boys coming of age in 1980s Australia, named one of the best literary fiction titles of 2019 byLibrary Journal.Eli Bells life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Elis life is Slima notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapeswho watches over Eli and August, his silent genius of an older brother.Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, aneglected suburb populated by Polish and Vietnamese refugees, this twelve-year-old boy with an old soul and an adult mind is just trying to follow his heart, learn what it takes to be a good man, and train for a glamorous career in journalism. Life, however, insists on throwing obstacles in Elis pathmost notably Tytus Broz, Brisbanes legendary drug dealer.But the real trouble lies ahead. Eli is about to fall in love, face off against truly bad guys, and fight to save his mother from a certain doomall before starting high school.A story of brotherhood, true love, family, and the most unlikely of friendships,Boy Swallows Universeis the tale of an adolescent boy on the cusp of discovering the man he will be. Powerful and kinetic, Trent Daltons debut is sure to be one of the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novels you will experience.