Of a Boy

Sonya Hartnett captures perfectly the tenderness and skewed perceptions of childhood. Of a Boy is a heartbreaking work of exceptional storytelling.

The year is 1977, and Adrian is nine. He lives with his gran and his uncle Rory; his best friend is Clinton Tull. He loves to draw and he wants a dog; he's afraid of quicksand and self-combustion. Adrian watches his suburban world, but there is much he cannot understand. He does not, for instance, know why three neighbourhood children might set out to buy ice-cream and never come back home . . .