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The Slap

A Novel

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The Slap

By: Christos Tsiolkas
Narrated by: Alex Dimitriades
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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 Crime Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Crime
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Critic Reviews

"With The Slap, Tsiolkas secures his place as one of Australia's most important novelists." ( The Age)
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I really enjoyed The Slap. It was thought provoking, challenging and heart breaking. Beware the C word!

A thought provoking tale.

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Since I experienced the works of Tsiolkas I have been searching for his essence in every other book I approach. He is remarkable.

Also Alex Dimitriades was the perfect voice for this.

A must!

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One of the best narrators I have listened to ... brilliant across the board - his ability to do kids, males and female voices is incredible. The author and narrator make every day life come alive. Tsiolkas' ability to convey what characters are thinking (but not saying aloud) is phenomenal 👏.

Brilliant narration

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The narration is superb. The story is grueling but well-written and authentic. The strong language, although also authentic, is sometimes just too much for my ears and sensibilities. I had previously seen and appreciated the TV series and read the book, but the excellent narration in this audio version takes Tsiolkas' work to a entirely new and superior level.

Highly recommended.

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How is it even possible for the author, a man, to know women so intimately? Christos Tsiolkas shows unnerving genius in revealing every complexity of the female body mind and heart. Sitting with his characters as they get drunk together, seek intimacy and find life’s true meaning feels like eavesdropping in every sense. And as if this wasn’t enough he fleshes out this extraordinary book with the stories of people - good people- who struggle with the fallout from a polarising moment when a young child is slapped at a family gathering.
You take sides. You question your beliefs about appropriate behaviour and punishment. You crave forgiveness for the guilty and feel breathlessly tense when it rushes to an agonising moment of potential disaster.
Read by actor Alex Dimitriades, who went on to play Harry in the TV mini series, this book is rich warm and unflinching- taking the reader into the homes of a middle class Australia soaked in alcohol and soothed by family loyalties.
I think this is a masterpiece. I adored Alex’s read - although for the first few chapters it felt rushed. By the time he reads the story of Manoly his accents are delightfully, wickedly, heartwarming.
Thoroughly recommended!

A masterpiece of truths from the kaleidoscope of this authors lens

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