Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

Twelve-year-old Eli Bell has a lot coming at him. His beloved mother and stepfather are immersed in the heroin trade. His older brother, August, stopped speaking at the age of six after experiencing a deep trauma and communicates by sky writing with a pointed finger looping words through the air. His alcoholic dad is long gone. His best friend is many years his senior, Slim Halliday, a notorious prison escapee and unconventional babysitter/mentor to the young Eli.

There is an escalating drug war happening in the broken down Brisbane suburb of Darra. Fearless kingpins are dueling for control over the lucrative heroin trade and everyone wants in on it. Just as you might expect, very bad things happen to good people who have made questionable decisions. But don't worry - you're in for a surprise if you think this might be a predictable tale.

There is a mysterious red telephone that is a character unto itself. There are underground tunnels and secret rooms. There is a reflective moon pool. There's an infamous prosthetic limb innovator and his underlings that are enough to scare the socks off of you. A kind, well-meaning teacher. A foe-turned-friend, Darren Dang, whose drug-dealing mother has the best nickname: 'Back off' Bich Dang. There are freaking machetes and knife fights and chases and severed limbs and catastrophes here, there and everywhere. There's a girl. Of course there's a girl, but she's a bad-ass crime reporting girl and she has the career of Eli's dreams. 

We follow Eli from age twelve through age nineteen as he navigates the crime-riddled streets of Darra, his family struggles, and the wisdom borne only of long stints in prison. We follow Eli as he tries to find out what's real and true and what's hidden behind smokescreens, behind hidden desires, behind people's words and actions.

It was so much fun tagging along on Eli's wild adventures that real life almost feels mundane in comparison. This is the kind of book you leap into, swim around in, absorb everything you can - the fantastic, the magical, the horrific - and then exhale a large volume of air as you slowly climb back out into the real world.

Thanks for the memories, Eli. I will always remember you.

Judge the cover: 4/5