From the internationally bestselling and beloved author of the critically acclaimed Boy Swallows Universe, a mesmerizing, uplifting novel of adventure and unlikely friendships in World War II Australia–calling to mind The Wizard of Oz as directed by Baz Luhrmann.

Darwin, 1942. As Japanese bombs rain down on her hometown, newly orphaned Molly Hook looks to the skies and runs for her life. Inside a duffel bag, she carries a stone heart and a map that will lead her to Longcoat Bob, the deep-country sorcerer whom she believes cursed her family. Accompanying her are the most unlikely traveling companions: Greta, a razor-tongued actress, and Yukio, a Japanese fighter pilot who’s abandoned his post.

With messages from the skies above to guide them towards treasure, but foes close on their trail, the trio will encounter the beauty and vastness of the Northern Territory and survive in ways they never thought possible.

A story about the gifts that fall from the sky, curses we dig from the earth, and secrets we bury inside ourselves, Trent Dalton’s brilliantly imagined novel is an odyssey of true love and grave danger, of darkness and light, of bones and blue heavens. It is a love letter to Australia and an ode to the art of looking up–a buoyant and magical tale, filled to the brim with warmth, wit, and wonder.

An utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate and a boy’s coming of age, set in 1980s Australia and infused with the originality, charm, pathos, and heart of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

The mind can take you anywhere you want to go.

Eli Bell’s life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli’s life is Slim–a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes–who watches over Eli and August, his silent genius of an older brother.

Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a seedy suburb populated by Polish and Vietnamese refugees, this twelve-year-old boy with an old soul and an adult mind is just trying to follow his heart, learn what it takes to be a good man, and train for a glamorous career in journalism. Life, however, insists on throwing obstacles in Eli’s path–most notably Tytus Broz, Brisbane’s legendary drug dealer.

But the real trouble lies ahead. Eli is about to fall in love, face off against truly bad guys, and fight to save his mother from a certain doom–all before starting high school.

A story of brotherhood, true love, family, and the most unlikely of friendships, Boy Swallows Universe is the tale of an adolescent boy on the cusp of discovering the man he will be. Powerful and kinetic, Trent Dalton’s debut is sure to be one of the most heartbreaking, joyous and exhilarating novels you will experience.

Una absolutamente maravillosa novela de debut que trata temas de amor, crimen, magia, destino y el momento en que un nino llega a su mayoria de edad. Ambientada en Australia en la decada de 1980 inspirada por la originalidad, el encanto, la melancolia y la esencia de las novelas Incredibly Close y The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

La mente puede llevarte a donde quieras ir.

La vida de Eli Bell es complicada. Su padre esta perdido, su madre esta en la carcel y su padrastro es un traficante de heroina. El adulto mas constante en la vida de Eli es Slim, un famoso delincuente que posee un record nacional por sus exitosas fugas de prision. Slim es quien cuida de Eli y su callado y genio hermano August.

Este nino exiliado del resto de mundo en Darra, tiene doce anos con un alma vieja y la madurez mental de un adulto, esta tratando de seguir su corazon, aprender lo que se necesita para ser un buen hombre, y entrenar para una glamorosa carrera en el periodismo. La vida, sin embargo, insiste en lanzar obstaculos en el camino de Eli, especialmente Tytus Broz, el legendario narcotraficante de Brisbane.

Y los verdaderos retos estan por venir. Eli esta a punto de enamorarse, tendra que enfrentar a los chicos verdaderamente malos y luchar para salvar a su madre de una cierta perdicion, todo antes de comenzar la escuela secundaria.

Una historia de hermandad, amor verdadero, familia y la mas improbable de las amistades. El universo en sus manos es la historia de un nino adolescente a punto de descubrir al hombre en que se convertira. Poderoso y cinetico, el debut de Trent Dalton seguramente sera una de las novelas mas desgarradoras, alegres y estimulantes que experimentaras.

WINNER, INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2022 BOOK OF THE YEAR

Trent Dalton, Australia’s best-loved writer, goes out into the world and asks a simple, direct question: ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’

A blind man yearns to see the face of his wife of thirty years. A divorced mother has a secret love affair with a priest. A geologist discovers a three-minute video recorded by his wife before she died. A tree lopper’s heart falls in a forest. A working mum contemplates taking photographs of her late husband down from her fridge. A girl writes a last letter to the man she loves most, then sets it on fire. A palliative care nurse helps a dying woman converse with the angel at the end of her bed. A renowned 100-year-old scientist ponders the one great earthly puzzle he was never able to solve: ‘What is love?’

Endless stories. Human stories. Love stories.

Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, Trent Dalton, bestselling author and one of Australia’s finest journalists, spent two months in 2021 speaking to people from all walks of life, asking them one simple and direct question: ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’ The result is an immensely warm, poignant, funny and moving book about love in all its guises, including observations, reflections and stories of people falling into love, falling out of love, and never letting go of the loved ones in their hearts. A heartfelt, deep, wise and tingly tribute to the greatest thing we will never understand and the only thing we will ever really need: love.

‘It’s the kind of book that has some impact on the reader … a Chaucerian endeavour, a rich caravanserai of real, living people with something important to tell.’ Sydney Morning Herald