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The Slap cover art

The Slap

Written by: Christos Tsiolkas
Narrated by: Alex Dimitriades
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Publisher's Summary

The best-selling cult author of Loaded and Dead Europe here turns his blowtorch onto the belly of middle-class suburban Australia and its notions of child-rearing and acceptable behavior.

At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own. This event has a shocking ricochet effect on a group of people, mostly friends, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the incident. In this remarkable novel, Christos Tsiolkas turns his unflinching and all-seeing eye onto that which connects us all: the modern family and domestic life in the 21st century. The Slap is told from the points of view of eight people who were present at the barbecue. The slap and its consequences force them all to question their own families and the way they live, their expectations, beliefs and desires. What unfolds is a powerful, haunting novel about love, sex and marriage, parenting and children, and the fury and intensity - all the passions and conflicting beliefs - that family can arouse.

In its clear-eyed and forensic dissection of the ever-growing middle class and its aspirations and fears, The Slap is also a poignant, provocative novel about the nature of loyalty and happiness, compromise and truth.
©2008 Christos Tsiolkas. (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd
Psychological Crime Fiction Literary Fiction Genre Fiction
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What the critics say

"With The Slap, Tsiolkas secures his place as one of Australia's most important novelists." ( The Age)

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Profile Image for Ivanna

Well written, juicy novel!

Some complex characters, but some who are more one dimensional, which makes it juicier because then you spend the whole book deciding to “pick a side”. Author explores the social nuances of a social faux pas (aka hitting someone else’s child). Makes you feel empathy for different characters, because each chapter is a different character’s perspective. Reminds me of the movie “The crash”. The performances of the reader really stand out as well! Highly recommend.

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