Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

44 reviews

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

tiffany_stevenson's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A fantastic book! I can’t tell you exactly why it deserves 5 stars but I loved it and would read it again! It definitely gets you in your feels

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Violence, and Murder

fantasery's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Car accident, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

librosdenopal's review against another edition

really slow and almost too much description and side stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

timmytunter's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.5

I found "Boy Swallows Universe" by Trent Dalton to be an exceptional and moving novel. Dalton’s prose effectively transports the reader to 1980s suburban Australia, evoking nostalgia via pages spattered with single-scoop Gray-Nicholls cricket bats, Golden Gaytimes, Pasito soft drink, gobstoppers and clinkers, and the TV show "Sale of the Century." His unique way of writing captures the essence of the era and immerses you in the world he has created.

The book’s protagonist, Eli Bell, serves as the narrator, and Dalton has given him a distinctive voice. It seems very apt to Eli’s effervescent nature that the narration is often excitable, loquacious, and very stream-of-consciousness. This style brings Eli’s character to life and makes his experiences and emotions incredibly relatable.

The characters Dalton has created are incredibly flawed, yet in many cases, loveable people. Eli and his brother August grow up in poverty, surrounded by adults who do not behave like adults. The boys are frequently required to step into the adult role, caring for themselves and the adults in their lives, as they navigate an alcoholic father, an heroin-addicted mother, a drug dealing stepfather, and a convicted murder for a babysitter. Despite their challenging circumstances, their bond is heartwarming and their resilience is inspiring.

The book speaks of trauma and healing, family love and romantic love, what makes someone “good,” mentorship, striving for justice, loss and resilience, and redemption and forgiveness. One of the most memorable quotes from the book is a conversation between August and Eli:

‘You know what I realised in all that time with my mouth shut?'
‘What?'
'Most things people say don't need to be said,’ he says.
He taps the moon pool.
‘I’ve been thinking about all the things Lyle said to me,' August says. 'He said so many things, and I reckon all those things put together wouldn’t say as much as he said when he’d wrap his arm around my shoulder.’

I cannot deny that a certain escapist mindset is required to step out of the real world and into the pages of "Boy Swallows Universe." This fictional world is one where the traumatized, the impoverished, and the societal outcasts overcome their circumstances if they put their minds to it. And score the job of their dreams, and the girl of their dreams, to boot. Despite all the real-world details and nostalgic references, there is a distinct extra-reality note to it all. Real life often doesn’t have a happy ending. This is not to detract from the tale but merely to recognise it for its allegorical, sentimental, and idealistic nature, and its slightly saccharine ending. 

Read with the appropriate mindset, this novel is one to be savoured, as it fills you with hope and optimism. Dalton’s storytelling is captivating, and his characters leave a lasting impression. I highly recommend "Boy Swallows Universe" to anyone looking for a powerful and uplifting read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty

adriennegg's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Physical abuse, Torture, and Car accident

mishsquishhhh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Loved it. Following the upbringing of a boy in a typical Queensland (Aussie) lower socioeconomic area. I found it really relatable, dark, emotional, and raw but hard to put down by the end.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Physical 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

kate59421's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful slow-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Violence

cjfooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

4.25

I absolutely love books that romanticise the mundane parts about life, in a way that changes your perspective on your life, and forces you to appreciate the little things. 

Although the main character in this book has, very very far from a simple, mundane life, Trent Dalton perfectly encompasses this feeling. 

I think the only way to describe its genre, is a fictional (well…’based-on’) biography written like a thriller-poem. 

The main character’s personality, and the way he thinks about things, is so uniquely beautiful in a way that I don’t think I’ll experience again. 

There’s so much tradegy in Boy Swallows Universe, but also so much of every other emotion, and a constant reminder of how strong the human spirit is. 

It can be very very brutal in parts, and feels extremely real and too close to home, yet there are parts that feel dissociative too. 

These dissociations when at the start and towards the middle of the book, feel ornamental, and not necessarily a plot point), but as the story comes to a close, most of them circle back. And I absolutely love when a book unexpectedly and cleverly does this. 

My only fault for it would be that, although little plots are always happening one after the other (similar to a biography) , there are parts of the book where you lose sense of an overall plot and wonder where it’s taking you.

I would definitely recommend this and read it again, although I’ll stress that it’s equally a comforting book, and a hard read, sometimes strangely at the same time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief