anna_hepworth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I went into this book with minimal knowledge about what I was getting in to. I knew Dalton had got great reviews for previous work, that this was about the bombing of Darwin during WWII, and that was pretty much it. I picked it up in an op-shop, because I needed something to read on a plane, and it looked interesting.
Such a good choice. Despite the fact that there is a laundry list of content warnings (see below) and in the hands of another author this story might have been a psychological thriller, this is a beautifully written story about love and perseverance. There are no 'surprises' of the type I hate in thrillers, and the writing is poetic, veering in to magical realism.
While I'd like to write a nuanced and informative review, I got to the end of the book and went 'wow'. Fabulous characterisation, a careful mix of cultural groups, amazing visceral descriptions of landscape, a plot that meanders coherently and engagingly, beautiful writing. I can see this being a book that gets taught in schools, because there is so much to unpack, so much imagery and interesting parallels.
Such a good choice. Despite the fact that there is a laundry list of content warnings (see below) and in the hands of another author this story might have been a psychological thriller, this is a beautifully written story about love and perseverance. There are no 'surprises' of the type I hate in thrillers, and the writing is poetic, veering in to magical realism.
While I'd like to write a nuanced and informative review, I got to the end of the book and went 'wow'. Fabulous characterisation, a careful mix of cultural groups, amazing visceral descriptions of landscape, a plot that meanders coherently and engagingly, beautiful writing. I can see this being a book that gets taught in schools, because there is so much to unpack, so much imagery and interesting parallels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Racial slurs, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse and Racism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
My notes while writing this read: death of parent, grave robbing, physical and emotional abuse of child, racism, period typical slurs, implications of sexual violence (not clear if rape), alcoholism, drug use, physical violence between adults, mentions of sex work, being on the ground in a bombing raid plus the aftermath (including dismembered bodies), abandonment of a minor, attempted murder, attempted rape, drowning, murder (graphic), eye damage and other dismemberment due to leprosy plus forced institutionalism of lepers, delirium tremendous, infected wound (graphic description), possible abandonment of child, mentions of suicide,chethaki's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall I did enjoy this book but I found it quite difficult to get through the first 30% or so of the book. Once I got past that the plot picked up and I found myself way more engaged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction
zjdhudson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book took me a while to get through but I think that worked in its favour. The book was heavy at times but it worked really well with the pace at which I was reading, it was a real slow burn reading this book and it was so worth it. I think the characters were really interesting and I think the detail put into the environment was fantastic and true to the Australian landscape. I highly recommend this book but make sure you go into it knowing that it’s a heavy read that may take a while otherwise you could easily be put off for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, and Grief
Moderate: War, Violence, Suicide, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Gun violence
littlewishling's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It took a little while for this book to really grab me but once it did I was in for a wonderful ride. Beautiful written and full of hope and love.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Death and Sexual assault
salbathtub's review
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Violence
lililoves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I should preface this by saying that I have not read Trent Dalton's 'Boy Swallows Universe' which is meant to be fantastic. In saying that, I just didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.
I think, as an Australian, I have an issue with Aus fiction in general. I find the pseudo-spiritualism and over description a bit tiresome after a while (see anything by Tim Winton). Everything has to have meaning. Something just can't be a dingo or a shovel, it has to have all this external meaning attached to it.
I also think Aus authors almost view it like a competition to see how many metaphors and similes they can cram into one book. For example, when describing naval ships, Dalton writes:
I think, as an Australian, I have an issue with Aus fiction in general. I find the pseudo-spiritualism and over description a bit tiresome after a while (see anything by Tim Winton). Everything has to have meaning. Something just can't be a dingo or a shovel, it has to have all this external meaning attached to it.
I also think Aus authors almost view it like a competition to see how many metaphors and similes they can cram into one book. For example, when describing naval ships, Dalton writes:
"They are as lengthy to Sam's eyes as the dead-grass Australian Rules football fields he bounces around on with his cousins, as wide across the beam as the cricket pitches he mows into the lawn behind the church." -p.95
Maybe I am a simpleton but when everything is described as such, I find it exhausting. I do think that he managed to really capture the beauty of the Australian outback, but I couldn't enjoy it because every little thing prior was over described.
I also took issue with some of the tropes Dalton used. For example, the wise old Aboriginal man that acts as a spiritual guide. It's been done 1000 times and really does not capture how rich the Indigenous cultures are here in Australia. It also felt like he hadn't done any research into the Indigenous cultures of the area in which this book is set and instead opted to use general terms, like 'walkabout', which I feel furthers the narrative that Indigenous Australians are monocultural, which is far from true. As a white Australian, I cannot say whether this assessment of the book is true, it is just how I felt while reading and based on information I have read (or seen) from Indigenous Australians. I would like to read more adventurous fantasy based stories from Indigenous authors in the future as I just feel they would bring more depth.
This book is saved by the relationships between the characters, especially Molly and Greta, and the character of Molly in general. I think she is well written and a great example of a young girl growing up in regional Australia: headstrong, brave, and adventurous.
I also took issue with some of the tropes Dalton used. For example, the wise old Aboriginal man that acts as a spiritual guide. It's been done 1000 times and really does not capture how rich the Indigenous cultures are here in Australia. It also felt like he hadn't done any research into the Indigenous cultures of the area in which this book is set and instead opted to use general terms, like 'walkabout', which I feel furthers the narrative that Indigenous Australians are monocultural, which is far from true. As a white Australian, I cannot say whether this assessment of the book is true, it is just how I felt while reading and based on information I have read (or seen) from Indigenous Australians. I would like to read more adventurous fantasy based stories from Indigenous authors in the future as I just feel they would bring more depth.
This book is saved by the relationships between the characters, especially Molly and Greta, and the character of Molly in general. I think she is well written and a great example of a young girl growing up in regional Australia: headstrong, brave, and adventurous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Abortion and Sexual assault
sneako's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
jameslyons's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I struggled to enjoy the first third of the book - way too dark, graphic and bleak for me. Most of it felt unnecessary and heavy handed, and I think Dalton could have started the book around page 200, but I was glad I pressed on if only to be transported into the magic of the outback for the rest of the book! And honestly, all these characters and not a single one of them is gay??? Same with Boy Swallows Universe. Hm.... Not exactly the "picture of Australia" his books are cracked up to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
emilyrainsford's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
He prefaced this story as he'd done every other time he told it, by acknowledging its more questionable narrative turns. 'For this story to reach your heart, son, you may need to swallow it down with a sprinkling of salt… You should write the facts of this story only on tissue paper. But you should carve its meaning in stone.'
This is a fairytale. But don't let that give you the wrong idea. Have you read the original fairytales? Those things were dark as fuck and so is this.
It honestly got a bit much for me after a while - trauma after trauma piled on this young girl. It was around the point where she's forced to dig up her own mother's skeleton, and then finds her father's dismembered body, that my inner landscape started to consist mainly of that gif where that guy is just looking at the camera saying sincerely, "Stop. Get some help."
I'd call this novel "genre defying". Don't let the pretty flowers on the cover fool you. It veers into the bizarre and macabre as often as it does the literary and hopeful. Perhaps more often. I honestly feel like Dalton has missed his calling as a horror writer.
This book felt quite bleak to me. I didn't really find it hopeful or uplifting. But I think the frequent mentions of Shakespeare's tragedies - Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet - serve as a reminder that not all stories are happy ones. Sometimes a tragedy is just a tragedy.
I felt like the scene where Tom Berry is telling the pub a tale was a parallel for the experience of reading this story. Dalton is spinning a yarn around the campfire. But where does story and truth intersect... maybe that's up to the listener to decide.
I think, for me, above all, this was a love story. But not the way that might make you think. It was Molly and Greta's love story. Because there is no love on earth like that between a child and a mother - even if that love was born in hearts not bellies.
Dalton's writing is undoubtedly singular and superlative - I think even better than BSU. But this one felt heavier to me. Let's face it, I'd probably read the blurb on a pack of bog rolls if Dalton wrote it. But ngl, I wouldn't be complaining if the next one *wasn't* about a traumatised 12 year old child.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, and Rape
More...