22. “That Eye The Sky” by Tim Winton
The very moment the ute driven by Ort Flack’s father ploughs into a roadside tree, the whole world goes out of kilter. Ort knows the sky is watching. He knows what it means to watch; he spends long hours listening at doors and peering through cracks. Things are terribly wrong. His father is withering away, his sister is consumed by hatred, his grandmother is all inside herself, and his mother, a flower-child of the 1960’s, is brave but helpless. When a strange man appears at their door, Ort Flack’s world is thrown into chaos, and the Otherworld begins to encroach.
Review : ⭐️⭐️. Tim Winton always manages to convey a sense of Australia that resonates with me - his description of the natural landscape in particular. I needed more plot and characterisation for this short book to work for me though. I was bored - which, for a 150 page story - isn’t great. I’d recommend picking up ‘Dirt Music’ instead, if you’re after a Winton fix. I’ll keep reading through his work though 🙂 #thateyethesky #timwinton #australianfiction #bookstagram #books #fiction #bookreview #penguinbooks #aussieapril #owlsreadathon2020
21. “Boy Swallows Universe” by Trent Dalton
Brisbane, 1985: A lost father, a mute brother, a junkie mum, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It’s not as if Eli Bell’s life isn’t complicated enough already. He’s just trying to follow his heart and understand what it means to be a good man, but fate keeps throwing obstacles in his way - not the least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer. But now Eli’s life is going to get a whole lot more serious: he’s about to meet the father he doesn’t remember, break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day to rescue his mum, come face to face with the criminals who tore his world apart, and fall in love with the girl of his dreams.
Review : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This was wonderfully written and I connected with and was rooting for the characters. Was a kick reading a story set in the Brisbane surrounds & Dalton did a fantastic job of sustaining an interesting plot while also injecting a lot of heart and warmth into the story. #boyswallowsuniverse #trentdalton #brisbane #aussieapril #crime #bookstagram #books #fiction #bookreview #harpercollins #fourthestate #aussieapril #owlsreadathon2020
