In Boy Swallows Universe, the protagonist, Eli Bell, is dragged into Brisbane’s underworld. Felix Cameron and Zac Burgess play Eli.
Eli is a boy with a knack for writing. He is as charming as he is perceptive. He loves his family and does not judge them for their choices, but he does try to steer them away from making the wrong ones.
Eli is not like other children his age, so it comes as no surprise that he takes on more than he can handle at a very young age, as Gus aptly puts it, “Boy Swallows Universe”.
Assisting Lyle
Eli’s stepfather, Lyle, used to be a drug dealer who got his mother, Frankie, addicted. Frankie overcame her addiction, but the recovery process took a toll on the entire family.
Soon after, Eli starts suspecting that Lyle is dealing drugs once again. One night, he follows him to Bich Dang’s house, and his suspicions are confirmed.
However, Eli discovers that Lyle is dealing drugs for the sake of their family. Eli not only forgives Lyle but also starts accompanying him on deliveries.
Eli easily strikes up conversations with Lyle’s clients. He learns about impure drugs and realizes that Lyle is adulterating Bich Dang’s products with mannitol.
Due to Lyle’s action, Eli and his family are attacked by Kroll, who ends up severing Eli’s finger. While Lyle is taken away by Kroll, Frankie goes to prison for a crime she did not commit.
Despite warnings from others, Eli refuses to give up on saving his stepfather and exposing Kroll.
He even meets Caitlyn Spies to tell her about the attack on his family, but when he hears about Lyle’s death, he changes his mind.
Eli now understands that no one is going to help him and his brother, who are sent to live with their alcoholic father. For the time being, Eli gives up on bringing his story to light.
A fearless boy
With time, Eli’s father, Robert, becomes a better father, and Eli starts sympathizing with him once he understands what his father is going through.
He even takes Darren’s advice and fights back against the bullies at school. After Slim’s death, Eli meets his friend and convinces him to deliver his letters to his mother.
Eli sneaks into the prison just to meet her, fully aware of how dangerous his plan is. Additionally, Eli sells Lyle’s drugs to Darren to buy Frankie a house.
This places him in the middle of a gang war, but he skillfully escapes with the money. This is only the beginning of Eli’s fearless actions.
Four years later, when his mother gets out of prison, Eli is disappointed to know that she is in love with Teddy, the man who betrayed Lyle.
When Eli accuses Teddy of betraying Lyle, Teddy and Frankie get into a fight, which leads to Teddy abusing Frankie. Eli and Gus somehow manage to save their mother.
Eli is not scared to fight Teddy and his friends, but he does not have to, as Alex, an ex-gang member who has been Eli’s pen pal for years, comes to his rescue.
The start of Eli’s career
Gus gives away the money that they had saved to buy a house for Frankie, so Eli is forced to get a job.
Eli wishes to be a journalist for the newspaper where Caitlyn, the reporter he has admired for years, works.
Eli fails to impress Caitlyn’s boss, but he gets to meet Caitlyn again. He advises her to interview Bich Dang to find out what happened to Lyle all those years ago.
Caitlyn returns the favor by advising Eli to write something so good that her boss will not be able to reject him.
Alex allows Eli to write his life story for the paper, resulting in Eli getting a job at Courier-Mail. Eli then helps Caitlyn investigate Tytus Broz.
The two of them succeed in exposing Lyle’s murderers. Eli almost loses his life in the process but is saved by his brother.
Eli and Caitlyn’s work leads to Eli getting promoted; he will now be working with Caitlyn as a crime reporter. On top of that, Caitlyn reciprocates his feelings.
Eli’s journey of bringing the people who hurt his family to justice finally comes to an end. He can now live a happy and peaceful life with his parents.
Also Read: The red telephone conversations in Boy Swallows Universe explained
