From middle class Italy to working class Brisbane

We thoroughly enjoyed Elene Farrante's The Lying Life of Adults, empathising with the teenage protagonist and laughing at our former teenage selves. 

And so onto Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton, a story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships. This is a novel of love, crime, magic, fate and coming of age, set in Brisbane's violent working class suburban fringe. 

And so, Brisbane, 1983: a lost father, a mute brother, a mum in jail, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crime for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way - not least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer. And Eli's life is about to get a whole lot more serious - he's about to fall in love, oh and he has to break into Boggo Road Jail on Christmas Day to save his mum.