One of the buzz titles at PLA, The Slap receives a resounding endorsement in the Washington Post today, in a review by Brigitte Weeks, a former editor of the newspaper’s Book World.

Set in Australia, the book follows the ripples caused by an incident at a barbecue. Having had it with an obnoxious four-year-old, an adult, not one of his parents, slaps the kid. The book switches back and forth among various characters and the repercussions of the event,

It’s a potentially confusing structure, but Australian writer Christos Tsiolkas is a master of seamless joints…He gets so close to his characters that the reader almost pleads with him to treat them more kindly.

The book can bring an American audience closer to life in Australia,

In The Slap we live for a few short weeks in suburban Australia, learning the language, becoming intimate with the characters and experiencing their customs. But finally the novel transcends both suburban Melbourne and the Australian continent, leaving us exhausted but gasping with admiration.

Published in Australia last year and winner of the Commonwealth Prize, the book debuts in trade paperback in the U.S. today.

The Slap: A Novel Christos Tsiolkas Retail Price: $15.00 Paperback: 496 pages Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) – (2010-04-27) ISBN / EAN: 0143117149 / 9780143117148

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