"Boy Swallows Universe" is a brilliant kaleidoscope, blending the grime and glow of a boy's coming-of-age tale. The streets of 1983 Brisbane come alive with a vibrancy that's both enchanting and raw, much like Trent Dalton's prose. It's a book that promises to pull you into its world, clutching at your heart with a compelling story of love, crime, and the pursuit of goodness against the odds. This isn't just another novel; it's an experience that leaves fingerprints on your soul.

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• New South Wales Premier's Literary Award for People's Choice, UTS Glenda Adams New Writing Nominated for Best Fiction (2019)
• Miles Franklin Literary Award Nominee for Longlist (2019)
• Australian Independent Booksellers Indie Book Award for Book of the Year & Debut Fiction (2019)
• Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) for Matt Richell Award and for Literary Fiction and for Audiobook (2019)
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Debut Novel (2019)
• MUD Literary Prize Debut Fiction (2019)
• Voss Literary Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2019)

A novel of love, crime, magic, fate and coming of age, set in Brisbane's violent working class suburban fringe - from one of Australia's most exciting new writers.Brisbane, 1983: A lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crime 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 if 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.

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