In Trent Dalton’s gritty coming-of-age debut, Boy Swallows Universe, we enter the mind of Eli Bell, an eagle-eyed 12-year-old who gets thrust into a whirlwind of drugs, addiction, violence, racism, and classism. Eli’s brother, August, speaks only when absolutely necessary. For the most part, he writes cryptically in the air. Eli’s spiritual mentor is …
