Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

52 reviews

rosecoleman's review against another edition

emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

Started very descriptive and therefore a bit slow but oh boy did it redeem itself, wow

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Murder

halftimelord's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Boy Swallows Universe had me hooked from the moment I picked it up. It's full of likeable characters (and monsters), and manages to be tense, heart-breaking and funny at the same time. When I got to the final act, I absolutely couldn't put the book down. Will be thinking about Eli and Gus for a long time! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gore

innocentlyevil's review

adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 As someone living in Australia, every character is written is like someone you could bump into on the street (for better or worse!). Ugly spiderweb of how drugs, dv, poverty, gangs, mental health, crime and more spread out together with our main guy trapped at the centre. Believe it or not it still cracks a few good jokes. Ends a little too magical for me but that's only because the story begins sunk in scum. Great story! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

hazelheaded's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

The book was intriguing and tense, though it was a traumatic read the majority of the time I kept coming back to it because I needed to know what happened.

Slim was a great babysitter!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and Car accident

alnicholl77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Unsure at first, I stuck with this book and am so glad I did. It's a wonderfully written story with vibrant characters, good and bad, and evocative suburban settings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

rhiannonhoward's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

niltic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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

5.0

WOW! Rollercoaster read about a young boy coming of age in a family/community where drugs, crime and mental illness are prevalent. Once I started, I could not read this book fast enough. The story is surprising, raw, funny, and dream-like, with very vivid, lovable characters. Central mystery veers uncertainly into magical realism at times, but it doesn't matter because this plot's only there to give the story something to hang off. Felt very at-home with the Australiana of it all too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Drug abuse

Minor: Mental illness and Grief

The most complicated feelings are around family in this book--highs and lows! Biggest concern areas would be

parental neglect/abandonment, death of parents/carers and domestic violence

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barabarayorkie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

Such a heartfelt and touching story. Eli and Gus pull at your heartstrings from the first page. Such an incredible book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Violence

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

I picked up this book because the name was familiar and I saw that it had been adapted for Netflix (but my eyes are bad and I didn't feel up to watching TV). I went in having no idea what it was about and wow.. what a trip.

This tells a story set in suburban Queensland, Australia in the 70s-90s (a time that coincides with my own formative years). One of the main themes is focusing on detail and the way the author depicts this childhood brings back a huge number of sense-memories for me. Stubbies shorts, Burger Rings packets, sticky vinyl car seats, heat haze on bitumen roads, eating pineapple rings from Golden Circle cans...  spelling words upside down on calculators, rats-tail haircuts, Ninja Turtles Tshirts and school bags with band names written all over them, and even the brand of cheap plastic pens and the names of the supermarkets, had my brain buzzing with resonance.... less so with the gangs and criminals, thankfully.

Apparently, according to the notes at the back, this book is semi-autobiographical. The language used is no holds barred and rich with Australian profanity. If I had a buck for every time a child swears and then is told off by a swearing adult I'd have enough to buy pizza tonight. I guess given that parts of this book are more than 40 years ago this is almost "historical fiction" which is hammered home by the complete lack of cellphones, specific cameras and torches, and the telephones are for.. yknow, calling people? Not to mention that people still rely on actual Newspapers. Old school.

As a story about growing up with unable parents and in traumatic circumstances, there are parts of the story that are delivered unreliably. The main point of view is from a traumatised boy and his older brother who is mute. There are dreams, visions and prophecies that I am always a sucker for. The story is told poetically with key lines that repeat. The action is tense and at times unhinged, telling of connection, redemption, mental illness, morality and garden variety pain.

I really enjoyed this book. It was the sort of story that I wanted to put down at times, and just sit with and think over. Lots of weird stuff happened, and the unpredictability and predictability walked hand in hand down a content warning list as long as my arm.  Parts of it were utterly grotesque and parts of it were trippy, and all up it was satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Minor: Racism and Fire/Fire injury

eugenia_si's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Murder

Moderate: Cursing and Drug use