Trent Dalton, Boy Swallows Universe (Fourth Estate 2018)
Before the meeting: This was an unusual meeting of the Book Group, most obviously because it happened online, with participants spread from Bondi to Balmain, and less obviously because it’s the first time a book has been chosen that I’ve already read.
So for my pre-meeting take on the book, I’ll just point you to this link, and limit myself to saying that I enjoyed the book, and risked a visit to the supermarket to buy a bottle of sarsaparilla to flourish at the zoom screen.
After the meeting: As you would expect, we spent time checking how we were all going in our separate households. One of us reported the death of a friend in England. One made only a brief appearance because he is a health worker and exhausted, as well as putting himself at risk as an essential worker. Another has been working very long hours as his business adjusts to having most people working from home and he spends many hours every day in online meetings, which, he says, may actually be more productive than in-person meetings, but are exhausting. Several of us, me included, reported intergenerational tensions as people variously worried that others weren’t taking enough care or were annoyed by other people’s worry. A number spoke of the odd sense of having a relaxing time to do gardening and sit about and read, while outside – where you’re not allowed to go – terrible things are happening. I got the impression that many of us are addicted to Covid-19 news. There were no jokes.
We did get to the book. Without food to share or the possibility of fragmenting into small incidental conversations the whole thing was a lot less fun than we’re used to. It felt almost like an Eng Lit seminar – not that there’s anything terribly wrong with that. Most of us enjoyed the book. One chap said that generally if a book hasn’t grabbed him by page 72 he gives up on it; this book took until page 272, but then he decided to go with it and really had a good time. Some didn’t care much for the longish expository opening. (I think they were referring to the evocation of Brisbane suburbs, which I loved.) Another felt that the magic realism elements were the least successful, and I think we can look forward to an excellent film.
Me fail? I fly! 
Everyone must go back to your first review last year!
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Thanks Jim. I hope you’re staying safe and doing well
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Interesting Jonathan. One day I would like to write up my reading group on my blog because I enjoy yours.
I was interested to hear about intergenerational tensions. We aren’t having that here over coronavirus – we are all seeing everyone else seeming to do the right things. However, this may be because coincidental with but not affected by COVID-19, we have been faced with having to rethink elder care. This is creating quite a bit of worry and a little tension though fortunately not conflict. It means there’s not much opportunity here for relaxing time!
As for the book, my only issue with it, really was that last bit of the ending – after the confrontation at the meeting (was it?) It will be good for the film though!!
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