• Age: 16 to 18
• Grade: 11 to 12

In a time of isolation and scarcity, a regressive regime rules with absolute power, turning neighbour against neighbour, and crushing dissidence with deadly force. A microcosm of this monstrous time: the tiny Pacific Northwest town of Gilder.

In a house on the fringes of the decimated hamlet, Kasper—fifteen, intellectually disabled, limited ability to speak—has miraculously survived the slaying of his family. But alone, he is a fleeting miracle. Alone, he is on borrowed time. Alone, his yellow headphones, brown blanket and beloved copy of The Gingerbread Man are scant consolation. Alone, he is destined to die within the folds of the blue hammock hanging from his bedroom ceiling.

Kasper is not alone.

Tao—failed service dog turned family pet—has also survived the attack. And with the discovery of Boy, Tao understands he has a duty: guide the last living member of his pack out of the house and through the ravaged streets of Gilder to safety. The destination? The one refuge he can conceive of in a world gone mad.

Boy in the Blue Hammock is an epic tale of loss and loyalty, of dissent and destruction, of assumption and ableism. With a unique premise, powerful narrative and evocative prose, this novel might be the best kept literary secret of 2022.

Darren Groth is the author of seven novels including Kindling (Hachette Australia, 2010), Are You Seeing Me? (Orca, 2017), Munro vs. the Coyote (Orca, 2017) and Infinite Blue (Orca, 2018). He won the 2016 Adelaide Festival Award for Young Adult Literature and has been nominated for numerous other prestigious prizes, among them the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the BC Book Prizes, the OLA White Pine Award, the CBCA Book of the Year (Australia), and the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (Australia). Groth is a passionate advocate for the representation of neurodiversity and intellectual disability in literature, and is the proud father of a son with autistic spectrum disorder. When he’s not watching American Ninja Warrior with his beautiful wife, he’s eating Fatburger with his wondrous twins. He lives in Vancouver, BC.

Darren Groth's profile page

A masterpiece of a story.

Massy Books

"Groth’s writing captures big themes, thoughts and emotions, and cruelties with a crisp and visceral quality. Many of the small, strung-together moments of Tao and Boy’s journey hold a poetic beauty."

<i>BC Bookworld</i>

"A moving and suspenseful survival tale, powered by the loving relationship between an intellectually disabled teen and a dutiful dog."

Allan Stratton, author of <i>The Dogs</i>

"Boy in the Blue Hammock is worthy of classic status ... Groth's writing is extraordinary, heart-eviscerating and gripping..."

Lindsay Wincherauk, author of <i>Driving in Reverse</i>

"This novel literally had me on the edge of my seat and reading through my fingers. It's a bona fide page-turner, an electrifying thriller—but what’s really thrilling is Groth’s complete mastery of his material, his understanding of the human heart. Boy in the Blue Hammock is stunning."

Kylie Ladd, author of <i>The Way Back</i>

Highly recommended.

Canadian Review of Materials

"Difficult to put down ... it really shines, holding tight to the reader."

<i>Winnipeg Free Press</i>