Buying Options
Kindle Price: | $13.99 |
includes tax, if applicable | |
Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishers (AU) This price was set by the publisher. |

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera, scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

![Boy Swallows Universe: The International Bestseller by [Trent Dalton]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517tW9oZBmL._SY346_.jpg)
Boy Swallows Universe: The International Bestseller Kindle Edition
Trent Dalton (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
Audible Audiobook, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
$0.00
| Free with your Audible trial |
Audio CD, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry" |
—
| $44.35 | — |
'The best Australian novel I have read in more than a decade' Sydney Morning Herald
'Astonishing, captivating ... a wild, beautiful, heart-exploding ride' Elizabeth Gilbert
The bestselling novel that has taken Australia, and the world, by storm. Winner of Book of the Year at the 2019 Indie Book Awards, winner of a record four Australian Book Industry Awards in 2019, including the prestigious Book of the Year Award, and winner of the 2019 UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing, NSW Premier's Literary Awards
Brisbane, 1985: A lost father, a mute brother, a junkie mum, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli Bell's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart and understand what it means to be a good man, but fate keeps throwing obstacles in his way - not the least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer.
But now Eli's life is going to get a whole lot more serious: he's about to meet the father he doesn't remember, break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day to rescue his mum, come face to face with the criminals who tore his world apart, and fall in love with the girl of his dreams.
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
2019 UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing, NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Winner
2019 People's Choice Award, 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
2019 Colin Roderick Award, shortlist
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
- LanguageEnglish
- Publisher4th Estate
- Publication date1 July 2018
- File size2728 KB
Product description
Book Description
About the Author
Trent Dalton is a staff writer for the Weekend Australian Magazine and a former assistant editor of The Courier Mail. He's a two-time winner of a Walkley Award for Excellence in Journalism, a four-time winner of a Kennedy Award for Excellence in NSW Journalism and a four-time winner of the national News Awards Features Journalist of the Year. His debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe, published by HarperCollins in 2018, is a much-loved national bestseller and critically acclaimed, winning the 2019 Indie Book of the Year Award, the MUD Literary Prize, the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing and the People's Choice Award at the 2019 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. In addition, at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards, the book won a record four ABIA Awards, including the prestigious Book of the Year Award. Boy Swallows Universe has been published across thirty-four English language and translation territories. (Author photo by Lyndon Mechielsen)
--This text refers to the paperback edition.
Review
‘Extraordinary … you will want this’ Joanna Cannon
‘Many coming-of-age novels set in the 1980s are little more than a roll-call of pop songs, retro snack foods and chopper bikes. Not this one. This is a proper literary novel about addiction, poverty, parenting and the power of love … Dalton has created an electric novel out of a troubled childhood … it’s a lively, funny affirmation of the human instinct for survival in a hostile environment’ The Times
‘Chock full of magic and what it really means to be a good person. The Bell brothers will stay with me for a very long time’ Rachael Brown, Guardian
‘Thrilling’ New York Times
‘Stellar … makes the typical coming-of-age novel look bland by comparison …This is an outstanding debut’ Publishers Weekly
‘Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. The events of Eli’s life are often fatal and tragic, but fate and tragedy do not overpower the story. Eli’s remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what’s possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvellous’ Washington Post
‘Marvellous … filled with beautifully lyric prose … exceptional’ Booklist (Starred Review)
‘The best Australian novel I have read in more than a decade' Sydney Morning Herald
‘The most extraordinary writer – a rare talent' Nikki Gemmell
‘Unsuspectedly joyous… sad, warm, witty’ The Australian
Do you remember what it felt like as a kid when you poured an entire package of Pop Rocks into your mouth and felt them all explode at once? That’s what it feels like to read this astonishing, captivating novel ― except more violent and bloody and urgent, and maybe the Pop Rocks are live grenades? … I absolutely loved it. Bravo, Trent Dalton. Thank you for the wild, beautiful, heart-exploding ride. Elizabeth Gilbert
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.From the Inside Flap
An utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate, and a boy's coming-of-age, set in 1980s Australia
Eli Bell's life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli's life is Slim--a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes--who watches over Eli and August, Eli's silent genius of an older brother.
Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a neglected suburb of Brisbane, 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 Eli's path--most notably Tytus Broz, Queensland's 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 certain doom--all before starting high school.
A story of brotherhood, true love, family, and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe is the tale of an adolescent boy on the cusp of discovering the man he will be. Powerful, kinetic, and infused with originality, charm, pathos, and heart to spare, Trent Dalton's debut is sure to be one of the most exhilarating novels you will experience.--David Wenham --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.From the Back Cover
An utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate, and a boy's coming-of-age, set in 1980s Australia
Eli Bell's life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli's life is Slim--a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes--who watches over Eli and August, Eli's silent genius of an older brother.
Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a neglected suburb of Brisbane, 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 Eli's path--most notably Tytus Broz, Queensland's 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 certain doom--all before starting high school.
A story of brotherhood, true love, family, and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe is the tale of an adolescent boy on the cusp of discovering the man he will be. Powerful, kinetic, and infused with originality, charm, pathos, and heart to spare, Trent Dalton's debut is sure to be one of the most exhilarating novels you will experience. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.Product details
- ASIN : B078QRFRZX
- Publisher : 4th Estate (1 July 2018)
- Language : English
- File size : 2728 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 424 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: 652 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Trent Dalton was born in Ipswich on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia, and raised by a suburban wingless angel and a tattooed bibliophile mud crab fisherman with a soft spot for drunks. He's a novelist, a two-time Walkley Award-winning journalist, a screenwriter and, coolest of all, the father of two girls. Author of By Sea and Stars: The Story of the First Fleet and Boy Swallows Universe, winner of the 2019 Indie Book Awards "Book of the Year".
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Customer reviews

Reviewed in Australia on 28 January 2020
Read reviews that mention
Top reviews from Australia
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
It's the coming of age tale of Eli, growing up in Brisbane's western suburbs, raised by drug dealers. We follow Eli and his brother August, through all the bad things life could throw at them, yet there are a lot of positives in their lives too. Living in Brisbane I'm familiar with many of the locations in this book, and knowing that it is semi-autobiographical, it really comes to life.
This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is simply magnificent. Thankyou Trent Dalton!
Set in the suburbs of Brisbane in 1985, Eli Bell is struggling to grow up in the midst of a very complicated life. His mum is a junkie, his step-father is a heroin dealer, his brother is mute, his absent dad is an alcoholic, his best friend is a notorious criminal, and his pen pal is the ex sergeant at arms of the Rebels motorcycle club.
All of a sudden, tragedy strikes, and Eli’s life becomes a lot more complicated. He needs all the help he can get from his brother, his friends, his father who has suddenly landed in his life, and an attractive young (but still far too old for Eli) journalist called Caitlin Spies.
Boy Swallows Universe is a heartbreaking, but triumphant, Australian novel that reveals the true horrors lurking underneath the surface of most suburbs, I suspect. I’m still reeling from the wild ride of the last few chapters and Dalton shines through as a simply brilliant storyteller. If you are in the middle of reading this book and are perhaps thinking that there is a bit too much description and it jumps around a bit too much, just wait til the end where all will be revealed.
5/5 stars!

Reviewed in Australia on 28 January 2020
Set in the suburbs of Brisbane in 1985, Eli Bell is struggling to grow up in the midst of a very complicated life. His mum is a junkie, his step-father is a heroin dealer, his brother is mute, his absent dad is an alcoholic, his best friend is a notorious criminal, and his pen pal is the ex sergeant at arms of the Rebels motorcycle club.
All of a sudden, tragedy strikes, and Eli’s life becomes a lot more complicated. He needs all the help he can get from his brother, his friends, his father who has suddenly landed in his life, and an attractive young (but still far too old for Eli) journalist called Caitlin Spies.
Boy Swallows Universe is a heartbreaking, but triumphant, Australian novel that reveals the true horrors lurking underneath the surface of most suburbs, I suspect. I’m still reeling from the wild ride of the last few chapters and Dalton shines through as a simply brilliant storyteller. If you are in the middle of reading this book and are perhaps thinking that there is a bit too much description and it jumps around a bit too much, just wait til the end where all will be revealed.
5/5 stars!

Trent, I don't know where you've been or what you've seen to have this story in you, but lucky for me you had. Can't wait to see what's next.
Simply unforgettably brilliant.
Top reviews from other countries

We follow 12-year-old Eli Bell who lives with his mum, stepdad and brother in Brisbane in the 1980’s. We start with Eli’s childhood seeming relatively normal but we soon learn that his brother Gus is an elective mute, his parents are drug dealers and his babysitter is a convicted criminal who escaped from jail several times. Eli’s world changes when his stepdad is caught by his boss dealing drugs on the side and is dragged off by henchmen whilst they are enjoying a family dinner. Following that, Eli’s mum is sent to jail and Eli and Gus are sent to live with his depressed and drunken father. Eli wants to grow up as a good person and a journalist and we follow him as he navigates his life in between the criminal world he was raised in and the world in which he wants to live.
This is the first Trent Dalton book I have read and, overall, I enjoyed it. The characters were well defined and I liked them immediately which helped me get invested in the story. Although this isn’t based on a true story, the characters are based on people that Dalton knows, so I think this helps bring them to life. The writing style is easy to follow and flows well but the pace of the book got a little bit slow for me. I think it started and finished well but it lost its way somewhere in the middle.
This is a nice coming of age story with memorable characters that I found myself rooting for.
Although this was not as good as ‘A Little Life’ for me, it was a solid story with an emotional flow and I will search out more Trent Dalton books.

Whilst this memoir-cum-novel from Australian journalist Trent Dalton definitely has its good points, I feel it might have been oversold by enthusiastic fans and puff merchants. I had been promised an immersive experience but it took me well over a hundred pages to follow just what was going on and to become invested in the characters. I did get there eventually and it does become an absorbing read.
Set in mid-80s Brisbane and recounted by 13-year old narrator Eli Bell, this semi-autobiographical debut tells the story of a lost father, a mute and much-loved older brother August who writes notes in the air, a heroin dealer for a stepfather, a worshipped mother in jail and Eli's babysitter the notorious criminal and legendary escape artist Slim Halliday. Much of it is harrowing but there are genuine moments of pathos and even humour. The ending is grisly but gripping.
The writing is outstanding and one can certainly detect the author’s journalistic background: shorn of frilly adjectives and devoid of adverbs, there’s a cleanness to the prose that I really relished. Dalton might let you know the colour, or the size or the shape of something but the most descriptive he gets in almost five hundred pages is to tell us that a small bird has ‘peppercorn eyes'.
The writing control is total even if the whole thing could have been usefully pruned by, oh, a third. So a kind of overwrought but in many respects underplayed account of Trent Dalton’s bizarre early life. Recommended with reservations. 3.5*


I have to admit I felt a tight and aching knot in my stomach as I read the first half of the book. It was filled with too much violence, pain and anger. These pages reminded me of the people I knew long ago in Australia who took pride in the fact they were bullies and others who were constantly chasing the dragon as they endured a life totally dependent on drug addiction. But this knot slowly unravelled as the pieces of the love puzzle so beautifully fell into place for Eli and Caitlyn. This is definitely a must-read story and I'm looking forward to reading more books by this talented Aussie author in the future.

"Joyous. Simply joyous. I hugged myself as I read it. My heart raced, swelled, burst; my eyes leaked tears; my stomach ached from laughter. Boy Swallows Universe is--I can't think of a word more apt--magical. This vibrant, vital, altogether miraculous coming-of-age novel marks the debut of an exquisitely gifted storyteller. . . and what's more, it's transformative: After reading Trent Dalton's book, you won't be the same as you were before."--A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window"