Boy falls in love with author
https://www.harpercollins.com.au/trentdalton/
When I say “boy” I am talking about myself here. I fully appreciate that this could be confusing for many, given both my age and the status of my hair, or perhaps lack there-of. The author in question is Trent Dalton, the man behind Boy Swallows Universe, All Our Shimmering Skies and most recently, Love Stories. And before you ask; no, this is not a coming-out-of-the-closet moment; I speak here of a love born out of respect and admiration. You know, a manly type of love that might result in one-armed hugs, general back-slapping, a brief awkward silence and then a rapid change of subject.
But I digress. I was lucky enough to get invited along to see Trent Dalton interviewed by Christine Jackson at St Rita’s College in Clayfield last Wednesday night. Lucky to go and see Trent speak, and also lucky to be going along in some good company. The interview was in support of his latest release Love Stories, which has just been published through HarperCollins. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the book yet; in fact, I had only read Dalton’s debut novel, Boy Swallows Universe, a month or two before hand.
Unsurprisingly, given the title of the book, the discussion was all about love stories, and I don’t think I was alone in the audience in finding it difficult not to fall in love with Dalton himself. The enthusiasm with which he spoke of these stories, whether happy tales of new-found love or bitter-sweet recounts of love and loss, was both endearing, infectious and inspiring. He spent much time talking about his own personal love stories with refreshing honesty and a beautiful focus on finding love in situations where others might deem it absent. It was a quite a different kind of love to the aforementioned “manly” love, and it was extremely refreshing.
In addition to the beauty of these stories, I was slightly shocked in realizing how much of his own story is weaved into that of Eli, the main character in Boy Swallows Universe. I’m sure this won’t come as a surprise to many who have read more about Dalton, but like I said, I went into the event knowing very little about him. Slow on the uptake at times! But this realization seemed to me to make his perspective on love even more remarkable. For one to endure what would be considered by many to be a difficult upbringing at the least and come out the other side with a focus and attitude towards love as open and honest as what was conveyed on the night is quite inspiring.
It speaks to me of the amazing power of choices. While we are subject to numerous external events, influences and circumstances that all work at shaping our lives in one way or another, we still have a choice at who we become. We get to choose what conclusions we draw in every situation, what we focus on and what we let go. We can choose to look for and find love in all its forms; whether overt and joyful, shy and timid, or manly, gruff and awkward. We can acknowledge the love that fuels grief and celebrate that too. We can uncover love in the unlikeliest of places. Because if there is one thing humans are great at, it’s finding what they look for. So, if we seek out love and if we give it freely ourselves, regardless of the situation and without expectation of anything in return, then we are guaranteed to find it in abundance.
If Trent’s book launch tour comes near you, I’d urge you to take the opportunity to go and see him speak. And I’d also recommend reading Boy Swallows Universe assuming you haven’t already. Some might be deterred by the first chapter or two as it starts with some beautiful but somewhat abstract writing. If you are one of those I would ask you to persist, because the abstract quickly sharpens into focus, the characters take shape and the story builds in intrigue, drama and action. The writing itself is beautiful, capturing the essence of Australian suburban culture in the 80s and 90s, familiar for me even though I did not grow up on the streets of Brisbane. The regular setbacks endured by Eli and his brother throughout the book are heart-wrenching, but the story retains hope and humour throughout. And, of course, love in its many guises.
While I cannot yet recommend Love Stories directly as I haven’t read it (slow on the uptake, remember!), I will certainly be looking to get my hands on a copy in the very near future.