The slap by Chris Tsiolkas

At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own. This event has a shocking ricochet effect on a group of people, mostly friends, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the event. In its clear-eyed and forensic dissection of the ever-growing middle class and its aspirations and fears, The slap is also a poignant, provocative novel about the nature of loyalty and happiness. Winner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (South East Asia and the Pacific) and longlisted for the Miles Franklin.

Read an interview with Chris Tsiolkas: from the Readings Bookstore interview
See what other people have said about the book: read Radio National's Bookshow review