The Slap

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Description

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 event. In this remarkable novel, Christos Tsiolkas turns his unflinching and all-seeing eye on to that which connects us all: the modern family and domestic life in the twenty-first 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.

Awards:
Winner of Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Book - SE Asia and South Pacific 2009. Shortlisted for Australian Literature Society Gold Medal 2009. Winner of Commonwealth Writers' Prize Overall Best Book 2009.

reader's comments

bookworm evans rated this book

This book is very easy to get into. Growing up in Melbourne I felt like I was walking the pavement through this book. Good talking point. Great over a good bookclub with a few wines discussing such an important topic. Loved it.

2 months ago...

markandrew19 rated this book

| really, really, really wanted to like this book. In fact, 3 chapters in, I wanted to be the first to say that this was the book of the year, but then something happened - the last chapter. I could even go as far as saying, it was the last 10 pages that probably ruined this book for me. I really loved what Tsiolkas did with this novel. He got me thinking. He got me to talk to people in the office and get them passionate about this tale and suss out from others what they would do in this situation. He got me to think like a father, to think like a parent. Then in an instant, he questioned my morals as a single person and my view on life without kids. Heck, he even got me to think about monogamy! But what enraged me about this book at the end was the path it decided to finish off on instead of actually addressing the crux of the story - the slap. I was left unsatisfied with the ending but enriched by the journey. I would still recommend this book, but I need someone to talk to about the ending.

9 months ago...

helene commented:

I have not read the book but would like to. I do not think single or married with or without children should influence a persons ideas about the rights or wrongs of slapping. I shall try and get hold of it thank you.

6 months ago...

Bridget Oliphant commented:

I haven't read it either and dont know if I will or not...Me PERSONALLY ..I don't think anyone...especially children should be slapped {especially in the face} its a sign of disrespect....Not to say I dont believe in spanking...But only on the behind....But again, slapping....NEVER...

2 months ago...