An utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate, and a boy's coming-of-age, set in 1980s Australia Eli Bell's life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli's life is Slim?a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes?who watches over Eli and August, Eli's silent genius of an older brother. Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a neglected suburb of Brisbane, this twelve-year-old boy with an old soul and an adult mind is just trying to follow his heart, learn what it takes to be a good man, and train for a glamorous career in journalism. Life, however, insists on throwing obstacles in Eli's path?most notably Tytus Broz, Queensland's legendary drug dealer. But