It is a very confronting book with a lot of swearing which may put some readers off. However it deals with some interesting issues of modern Australian life and created a lot of interesting book club debate.

How offensive was this piece of writing! I can hardly bring myself to call it a 'novel'. Overuse of foul language was unnecessary and detracted from the story. The author started with such great promise - a theme that is close to everyone's moral fibre but he dropped it and ran. If he was writing from experience, then I feel sorry for him that his family & friends present such a sorry collection from society. This piece of writing was not a true reflection of Australian society and does not do Australians justice. However, his empathy for older people is obvious and this was the only part of the "book" that was an enjoyable read. If his purpose was too shock and offend (after making money, of course) then he succeeded. But if he was hoping to create a "classic" then let's hope he gets a real job! If we could get a refund, we would ask for it!

Very thought provoking book that will generate a lot of discussion. A great read around an interesting theme, written from several different perspectives. Some of the language was unneccessarily crass in my opinion and not representative of how most Australians talk though.

I found the book dark, as I found most of the characters. The issue of the Slap drew me to the book. But the author didn’t really deal with this issue. Instead he turned each chapter into a short story around the lives of the characters. And what was it with all the masturbating? Did he really have to share that with us? Foul language all the way through the book was horrendous. If this is the author’s style I think I’ll pass on future books.

This is a wonderful book. Confronting, to say the least. It's one of those books that pushes us to look at ourselves and our beliefs and assumptions. People who aren't interested in doing that will find the book too confronting.
How good to enjoy something substantial, when most non-literary novels are bland and textureless, while self-indulgent readers demand to be able to "like" or "identify with" characters, as if reading should be like eating junk food.