Netflix's new series 'Boy Swallows Universe', adapted from Trent Dalton's bestselling novel, premieres on 11 January. The eight-part limited series follows 12-year-old Eli Bell in 1980s Brisbane, navigating a tumultuous home life with a heroin-dealer stepfather, mute brother, drug-addicted mother, and a criminal father figure.
While the story is fictional, Dalton has revealed that elements were inspired by his own childhood. He grew up with two unconventional male role models: his criminal stepfather and family friend Arthur 'Slim' Halliday, a convicted murderer known as 'The Houdini of Boggo Road'. Dalton described Slim as 'the funniest, kindest old bloke', despite his past crimes.
The author also recalled that a red rotary telephone in his stepfather's home became a key plot device. In the series, this phone is placed in an eerie underground room, with Dalton 'fantasising about who's on the end of that phone line'. However, many of the story's twists are entirely fictional.
The series, starring Australian actors including Phoebe Tonkin, balances moments of joy with grief and fear, offering a poignant portrayal of life's complexities. 'Boy Swallows Universe' streams on Netflix from 11 January.
