'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 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.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'Eli Bell’s childhood in the outer Brisbane suburbs is far from the idyllic 1980s haze some kids would remember. His alcoholic dad has shot through, his ex-druggie mum is in jail, his stepfather’s dealing heroin, his brother Gus is a mute who swirls cryptic messages in the air with his finger, and his babysitter Slim is a convicted killer and infamous escapee from Boggo Road Gaol.
'Beset by chaos on all sides, a run-in with the local crime king and his henchman sets the 13 year old with the old soul on a journey to find out what kind of a man he is going to be.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Dedication: For Mum and Dad. For Joel, Ben and Jesse.
In May 2019, it was announced that Joel Edgerton would be producing an adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe for Anonymous Content, Chapter One, and Hopscotch Features (Source: https://deadline.com/2019/05/joel-edgerton-boy-swallows-universe-anonymous-content-chapter-one-hopscotch-tv-drama-1202620608/).
On 28 May 2019, it was announced that Queensland Theatre acquired the stage adaptation rights to Boy Swallows Universe and will be produced in partnership with the Brisbane Festival for a premiere in September 2020. (Books + Publishing News)
'Trent Dalton is a dual Walkley Award winning journalist, who also happens to be an exquisite novelist. Boy Swallows Universe took out the awards season – and the hearts of readers – and there is little doubt All Our Shimmering Skies will do the same. This interview is one of Trent's first in depth interviews about All Our Shimmering Skies, and believe it or not, he also has news about Boy Swallows Universe.
'Boy Swallows Universe is a much-loved national bestseller and critically acclaimed novel. It received the Indie Book of the Year Award and the People's Choice Award at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, as well as a record of four ABIA Awards in one year.
'Trent is a staff writer for the Weekend Australian Magazine. He is a two-time winner of the 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.' (Production introduction)
'Hidden behind a sliding-glass door in a built-in wardrobe of Trent Dalton’s childhood home was a secret room, and a red phone. Dalton was 6 when the space was revealed to him by one of his three brothers. Many years later, he realized this was his family’s escape room.' (Introduction)
'Some of Australia's best known authors managed to reach literary fame with their debut novels: Kate Grenville with Lilian's Story, which won the Vogel Literary Award in 1984; Richard Flanagan with Death of a River Guide, which won several awards, including the National Fiction Award in 1996; and Andrew McGahan with Praise, which won the Vogel in 1991.' (Introduction)
'Hear our events manager Chris Gordon in conversation with Trent Dalton about his wonderful debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe.' (Production summary)
'Hidden behind a sliding-glass door in a built-in wardrobe of Trent Dalton’s childhood home was a secret room, and a red phone. Dalton was 6 when the space was revealed to him by one of his three brothers. Many years later, he realized this was his family’s escape room.' (Introduction)
'Boy Swallows Universe is a first novel rich in adventure, description and plot.
'Mark Twain famously said that truth is stranger than fiction, and the parts of Boy Swallows Universe that draw on Trent Dalton’s actual boyhood are as intriguing as the fictional plot involving drug czars, prison break-ins and prescient siblings.' (Introduction)
'Some of Australia's best known authors managed to reach literary fame with their debut novels: Kate Grenville with Lilian's Story, which won the Vogel Literary Award in 1984; Richard Flanagan with Death of a River Guide, which won several awards, including the National Fiction Award in 1996; and Andrew McGahan with Praise, which won the Vogel in 1991.' (Introduction)
'Trent Dalton is a dual Walkley Award winning journalist, who also happens to be an exquisite novelist. Boy Swallows Universe took out the awards season – and the hearts of readers – and there is little doubt All Our Shimmering Skies will do the same. This interview is one of Trent's first in depth interviews about All Our Shimmering Skies, and believe it or not, he also has news about Boy Swallows Universe.
'Boy Swallows Universe is a much-loved national bestseller and critically acclaimed novel. It received the Indie Book of the Year Award and the People's Choice Award at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, as well as a record of four ABIA Awards in one year.
'Trent is a staff writer for the Weekend Australian Magazine. He is a two-time winner of the 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.' (Production introduction)