Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe wins the Top 100 Books countdown — as it happened

On Monday, Radio National’s The Book Show will speak to some of the literary stars whose books made the inaugural Top 100 countdown.

And on Friday, The Bookshelf will cast an eye over the 101-200 list, so be sure to tune into both shows on the ABC listen app.

That’s it for the blog – thanks from Anna and me and the team at Radio National to everyone who joined us to follow along to the count. It was a wild ride and we’re looking forward to doing it all again next year.

In the meantime, keep reading and sharing wonderful books.

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Dalton has spoken movingly on air about his mother as he processes the news that his debut novel Boy Swallows Universe has taken out first spot in the Top 100 Books, saying she’s a beautiful grandmother to his kids.

“She turns 70 in December. I could not imagine a better 70th birthday present for her. She’s got a job as a volunteer support worker, helping women like Frankie Bell … women like herself.”

The much-loved Brissy author told ABC Radio National’s The Book Show that A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz is one of his favourite books of the last 25 years.

“I read that book just before I sat down to write Boy [Swallows Universe], and Steve made me believe anything is possible in Australian writing. He gave me this licence to never hold back … I found it so funny on one page and so flipping deep [on another].

“I think that guy is a genuine genius, and we get to call him our own.”

Wow I love all these books and have read most of them. Hilary Mantel was an exceptional writer. It’s so exciting to see all these titles up there.

– Deb

Loving the countdown, and recalling many fabulous books I forgot to vote for. Haven’t done so much housework in ages … How I missed voting for Burial Rites, I will never know.

– Vicki

We are on our afternoon walk and glued to the radio to be updated on the next book. Brilliant entertainment – thank you!

– Anon

Keep the messages coming as we countdown to the top spot!

The Book Thief clearly has loads of fans — and Top 100 alumnus Silvey (#25, #24) is one of them.

He told ABC Arts in September:

“I think it’s a masterpiece, as do many other people. It’s a beautiful story and Australia is very blessed to have Marcus writing stories set here and about us.

“The Book Thief is rich with wisdom and feeling, and it’s a book that has transcended generations and will endure for a very, very long time. And it’s for everyone [adults and younger readers].”

Fans of The Book Thief might be interested to learn it was originally meant to be a 100-page novella.

“I always laugh about the fact that originally it was going to be non-fiction … Then I thought, no, a 100-page novella. Then I brought Death in as the narrator and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe it’ll be 250 pages’,” Zusak says.

“It just kept growing, and every time there was another idea or another risk, I felt it was in the spirit of that book to take it.

“So, yeah, it ended up being a 580-page book that means the world to me. I just thought no-one would read it, so it’s miraculous that I’m sitting here talking to you about it all these years later.”

We’re down to the wire now!

So, how does Markus Zusak feel that his beloved novel — published two decades ago — has made it to second place?

“Jeez, bloody hell. What a disappointment.”

Of course, he’s joking.

“People have been saying books are dying ever since I got published, which was in 1999, and they’re not dead yet; I think they’re thriving more than ever. I go into bookshops and it’s just absolutely humming in there,” he says.

“And so the fact that people really got behind something like this, that’s the best part.

“I’m thrilled. Thanks, everyone who voted for me, and if you didn’t, well, bad luck, I’m at number two!”

A Gentleman in Moscow‘s unusual structure was part of its appeal, both in the US and abroad.

“One of the things I loved about the notion was that it makes a terrible elevator pitch: ‘I’m going to write a book about a guy who gets trapped in a hotel in Russia in the 1920s and he’s going to stay there for 30 years’. That sounds terrible,” Towles tells Kate Evans.

“But it obviously poses a challenge for me to try to create a world that holds the reader’s interest and that makes them feel not claustrophobic, but that somehow they’re exposed to the universe, to the breadth of human life.”

Top three! How exciting.

A Gentleman in Moscow is the second novel from American novelist Amor Towles, published in 2016. It centres around the fictional Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.

The narrative skips forward and back in time, and has plenty to say about social class, politics, family, and friendship.

Speaking on air, Towles tells Kate Evans he’s thrilled to see his book land at number three.

“It’s very humbling to see. It takes me about four or five years to write a book, not including the years that I’ve been planning it and thinking about it.

“I felt very proud of the work when it was done; it met my standards and fulfilled my ambitions artistically. But you really don’t know how it’s going to be received, either immediately or over time.

“You’re hoping, as a novelist, that you create a tapestry which is rich enough that people from all walks of life can come to it, can be entertained by it, and can find a message.”

For Scott and the rest of you looking for the list so far, here’s where you can find it:

This commenter has chosen to challenge my expertise. Slander!

Let’s compare, shall we?

The Irish novella is 128 pages.

Where is the Green Sheep comes in at… 32 pages.

Touché, Sarah. Touché.

We heard from readers all over the country about the impact this book had on them. It definitely made its mark.

“I love this book because it gave a different perspective of life during a difficult world event, which we don’t often get.” — Sarah from Cooma

“I think the author really captured what it was like to not understand what the world was going through. I read it just before COVID happened and it really resonated more after that.” — Alexandra from Wollongong

“I thought it was a fabulous book. Doerr wrote absolutely a wonderful, very complex story on so many levels … There are so many different levels of understanding and various themes and metaphors. There are messages there that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life.” — Jill from Melbourne

Oh, another heartbreaking story! Our voters clearly love a tear-jerker.

Anthony Doerr‘s 2014 novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year, follows two young characters on opposite sides of World War II around the bombing of the occupied French town of St Malo.

Doerr is deeply touched by Australians voting so passionately for his novel.

“There are many things that are relevant to our time right now in the novel,” he says.

“Thank you so much for being readers. Thanks everybody for engaging with the written word. Thanks for celebrating the books of the 21st century.”

To readers, he says he wishes you all “every happiness”.

Kate Evans and Claire Nichols are on air with you as we get to the pointy end of this epic countdown.

Remember you can text them on 0418226576 to share your thoughts on the final five!

Bonnie Garmus drew on her own life experience to create the character of Elizabeth Zott.

“I used to work a lot in technology … I had devised this large campaign for a big tech company and they’d flown me all the way in to present my ideas.

“After I presented my ideas — and keep in mind that I was the only woman, for the millionth time, in a room full of men — no-one said a word.

“And finally, this one man in the room said, ‘I don’t think we should do anything that she’s just suggested, I have my own ideas’. And he proceeded to read my PowerPoint slides and present them as his own ideas.

“Everyone in the room said, ‘Brilliant’. I was so mad .. it was as if I no longer existed in that room.

“I walked down the hall, I walked to the desk they’d given me for the day, and I wrote the first chapter of Lessons in Chemistry.”

Who’d have thought chemistry would capture the imagination of so many readers?

OK, so it’s not so much beakers and Bunsen burners as it is a fiery heroine breaking glass ceilings in 1960s California.

Bonnie Garmus’s 2022 bestseller was famously rejected by 98 publishers before rising to meteoric heights.

The American writer is shocked and delighted to have landed at number five in the countdown.

“This is incredible. You know, I came to Australia and I was at the Sydney Writers Festival and a couple other places in Australia, and I was so taken with the country and with the readers. It’s just been wonderful for me,” she’s saying on-air.

“At a time in literature when everyone tells us that there are fewer readers than ever, I’ve heard from a lot of people in Australia about the book and I’ve treasured each and every email and direct message from them.

“Australia has really gone all out for me and I will never forget it.”