Synopses & Reviews
Read Christos Tsiolkas's blogs on the Penguin Community.
Read a review of The Slap on WorldNews.tk.
Read a review of The Slap on Timesonline.co.uk.
In this powerful and riveting novel, literary phenomenon Christos Tsiolkas unflinchingly exposes the inner- workings of domestic life, friendship and parenthood in the twenty-first century, and reminds us of the passions and malice that family loyalty can provoke. When a man slaps another couple’s child at a neighborhood barbecue, the event send unforeseeable shockwaves through the lives of all who are witness to it. Told from the points of view of eight people who were present, The Slap shows how a single action can change the way people think about how they live, what they want, and what they believe forever. “Tsiolkas is a hard-edged, powerful writer….The novel transcends both suburban Melbourne and the Australian continent, leaving us exhausted but gasping with admiration.” –Washington Post
“This astute exploration of suburban aspirations and failings . . . . vividly demonstrates the wide-ranging effects of a single moment’s rash decision. . . . Beyond simply igniting the plot, the fateful slap draws attention to generational and philosophical differences regarding family life and the complex political, social, and ethnic milieu of contemporary Australia.” —Publishers Weekly
“Radiates with vitality as it depicts the messy complications of family life.” –Booklist
“Complex and multilayered. …intertwined lives and slowly revealed connections make for a singular reading experience.” –Library Journal
“Wildly energetic and fearless, thrillingly about our lives now.” – Helen Garner, author of The Spare Room
“A gripping suburban fable.” – Men’s Style
“Strikingly tender . . . it claws into you with its freshness and truth.”—Sydney Morning Herald
Review
"A layered, briskly paced story about complex people. Think Tom Wolfe meets Philip Roth. Or 'The Sopranos' meets 'The Real Housewives of Orange County."
-Oscar Villalon, Los Angeles Times
"Brilliant, beautiful, shockingly lucid and real, this is a novel as big as life built from small, secret, closely observed beats of the human heart. A cool, calm, irresistible masterpiece."
-Chris Cleave, author of Little Bee
"The Slap is nothing short of a tour de force, and it confirms Christos Tsiolkas's reputation as one of the most significant contemporary storytellers at work today. In his new book, Tsiolkas puts a microscope to family life and presents us with a vision both of unflinching honesty and great tenderness. The luminosity of his prose and the brilliance of his characterisation render the ordinary quite extraordinary. Here is a novel of immense power and scope, reminiscent of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections and Don De Lillo's Underworld."
-Colm Toibin, author of Brooklyn and The Master
"Like all Tsiolkas' work, it is wildly energetic and fearless, thrillingly about our lives now."
- Helen Garner, author of The Spare Room
"This is a rich and engrossing novel, full of vivid incidents and intricate patterns...Tsiolkas's subtle character drawing, fast-moving narrative, and above all, fierce moral commitment make The Slap a worthy winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize."
-The Telegraph
"Riveting from start to finish."
-Jane Smiley, author of A Thousand Acres and Private Life
"Radiates with vitality as it depicts the messy complications of family life."
-Booklist
"Complex and multilayered. ...intertwined lives and slowly revealed connections make for a singular reading experience."
-Library Journal
"With The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas secures his place as one of Australia's most important novelists...It is thrilling to have our life reflected back at us so accurately...Tsiolkas has written an absolute ripper."
-The Age
"The best politicians are those who can instinctively divine the zeitgeist of their country's centre. For the ones who can't, I would place The Slap as mandatory bedside table reading. It's a perfect social document... More importantly, it's also a hell of a read."
-The Australian
"Strikingly tender...it claws into you with its freshness and truth."
-Sydney Morning Herald
"A controversial and daring novel, The Slap uses the iconic scene of a suburban Australian barbecue to examine identities and personal relationships in a multicultural society. Offering points of view from eight different characters, it taps into universal tensions and dilemmas around family life and child-rearing. This book is sure to challenge readers and provoke debate."
-Committee for The Commonwealth Writers Prize 2009
Review
“Tsiolkas is a hard-edged, powerful writer….The novel transcends both suburban Melbourne and the Australian continent, leaving us exhausted but gasping with admiration.”
Review
“This astute exploration of suburban aspirations and failings . . . . vividly demonstrates the wide-ranging effects of a single moment’s rash decision. . . . Beyond simply igniting the plot, the fateful slap draws attention to generational and philosophical differences regarding family life and the complex political, social, and ethnic milieu of contemporary Australia.”
Review
“Radiates with vitality as it depicts the messy complications of family life.”
Review
“Complex and multilayered. …intertwined lives and slowly revealed connections make for a singular reading experience.”
Review
“Wildly energetic and fearless, thrillingly about our lives now.”
Review
“A gripping suburban fable.”
Review
“Strikingly tender . . . it claws into you with its freshness and truth.”
Review
"
The Slap tells a layered, briskly paced story about complex people. Think Tom Wolfe meets Philip Roth. Or
The Sopranos meets
The Real Housewives of Orange County"
Review
“Brilliant, beautiful, shockingly lucid and real, this is a novel as big as life built from small, secret, closely observed beats of the human heart. A cool, calm, irresistible masterpiece.”
Review
“A novel of immense power and scope, reminiscent of Jonathan Franzen’s
The Corrections and Don DeLillo’s
Underworld.”
Synopsis
The basis for the NBC event series directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Uma Thurman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Zachary Quinto.
In this powerful and riveting novel reminiscent of Liane Moriarty'sTruly, Madly, Guilty, literary phenomenon Christos Tsiolkas unflinchingly exposes the inner workings of domestic life, friendship, and parenthood in the twenty-first century, and reminds us of the passions and malice that family loyalty can provoke. When a man slaps another couple s child at a neighborhood barbecue, the event send unforeseeable shock waves through the lives of all who are witness to it. Told from the points of view of eight people who were present, The Slapshows how a single action can change the way people think about how they live, what they want, and what they believe forever."
Synopsis
Winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize. When a man slaps a child who is not his own at a neighborhood barbecue, the act triggers a series of repercussions in the lives of the people who witness the event.
Synopsis
The sensational international bestseller by Australia's "preeminent contemporary novelist" (The Age), in his United States debut Winner of the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap is a riveting page-turner and a powerful, haunting rumination on contemporary middle-class family life. When a man slaps a child who is not his own at a neighborhood barbecue, the act triggers a series of repercussions in the lives of the people who witness the event-causing them to reassess their values, expectations, and desires. For readers of Jonathan Franzen and Tom Perrotta, this is a compelling account of modern society and the way we live today.
Synopsis
Soon to be an NBC miniseries directed by Lisa Cholodenko and starring Uma Thurman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Zachary Quinto.
In this powerful and riveting novel, literary phenomenon Christos Tsiolkas unflinchingly exposes the inner workings of domestic life, friendship, and parenthood in the twenty-first century, and reminds us of the passions and malice that family loyalty can provoke. When a man slaps another couples child at a neighborhood barbecue, the event send unforeseeable shock waves through the lives of all who are witness to it. Told from the points of view of eight people who were present, The Slap shows how a single action can change the way people think about how they live, what they want, and what they believe forever.
About the Author
Christos Tsiolkas is an award-winning novelist, playwright, essayist, and screenwriter. His fiction has won numerous prizes, including the Commonwealth Writers Award, the Age Fiction Prize, and the Melbourne Best Writing Award. The Slap is his first book published in the US.