Trent Dalton Archives

Book review: Gravity Let Me Go by Trent Dalton

November 8, 20253 min read

Sadly I missed getting Gravity Let Me Go by Trent Dalton for review though eventually bought a copy at an airport returning from a short break (during a 3.5hr stopover enroute home). I LOVED Boy Swallows Universe and Lola in the Mirror and the former is still one of the most read reviews on my site (along with Frederik Backman’s Friends and almost anything by David Baldacci). I didn’t love All Our Shimmering Skies quite as much as the ‘fantastical’ element outshone the plot itself for me. And I know Dalton teases with that element in his other novels – the red phone in his debut, the mirror in Lola and here a recurring theme relates to journalist Noah’s visions and references to (his wife) Rita’s other worldliness.

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Book review: Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

October 7, 20233 min read

This is a beautiful story and reminded me of Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe which I also loved. Dalton’s writing sings but he can also spin a yarn and this one – about a 17 year old girl with no name – is enchanting and addictive. The book opens as she’s waiting for her 18th birthday when her mother will turn herself into the police after being on the run for all of their lives, and then – only then – will she know her name.

Unfortunately things don’t work out as planned and she worries she may never know who she is.

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Book review: All our Shimmering Skies by Trent Dalton

September 28, 20204 min read

Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe was one of my favourite books of 2018. Possibly my favourite book. I’ve long been a fan of Dalton’s writing and though I avoid non-fiction, am generally riveted by his pieces in weekend newspapers. Articles or non-fiction essays about seemingly ordinary people and places, made extraordinary through his telling.

Dalton’s second novel, All Our Shimmering Skies is quite different to his first. It’s far more fantastic and mystical. It’s deeper and requires more intellectual translation in many ways. As my taste is fairly prosaic and comprehension very literal I was probably less drawn to the plot. The characters however, are as bewitching as I expected and (again) Dalton’s writing is beyond beautiful.

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Book review: Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

December 5, 20185 min read

I mentioned in my review of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart I was reading a couple of books I’d missed out on reviewing during the year prior to putting together my ‘favourite books of 2018’ post. I was keen to read books that others had consistently loved. Lost Flowers was one. And this… Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe was another.

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