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THE CHOKE

Sofie Laguna

The Choke is a brilliant, haunting novel about a child navigating an often dark and uncaring world of male power and violence, in which grown-ups can't be trusted and comfort can only be found in nature. This compassionate and claustrophobic vision of a child in danger and a society in trouble celebrates above all the indomitable nature of the human spirit.
Abandoned by her mother as a toddler and only occasionally visited by her volatile father, 13-year old Justine is raised solely by her Pop, an elderly man tormented by visions of his time as a POW in Changi. Justine finds sanctuary in Pop's chooks and The Choke, a beautiful part of the country near her house where the Murray River almost turns in on itself. School is a torment to her, as she can't figure out what the letters mean, and her two half-brothers who live in town tease her mercilessly. Although she doesn't realise it, Justine's father is a dangerous criminal and the world she is exposed to is also one of great peril to her. She has to make sense of it on her own - and when she eventually does, she knows what she has to do. Once again Sofie Laguna has created a haunting and claustrophobic vision of a child in danger and a society in deep trouble. SOFIE LAGUNA originally studied to be a lawyer, but after deciding law was not for her, she trained as an actor. Sofie is now an author, actor and playwright. Her books for young people have been named Honour Books and Notable Books in the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and have been shortlisted in the Queensland Premier's Awards. She has been published in the US and the UK and in translation in Europe and Asia. Sofie's first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, was published throughout Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom. Sofie has written the screenplay for the film of One Foot Wrong.
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Published 2017-09-01 by Allen & Unwin

Comments

Laguna builds suspense deftly and without mercy. From the moment The Choke begins, a slingshot's elastic is precisely, steadfastly being pulled back... and the stone Laguna lets fly ricochets inside you for days afterwards.

Don't for a moment imagine that, after taking out the Miles Franklin Award in 2015 for her novel The Eye of the Sheep, the best of Sofie Laguna's work is behind her. The Choke [is] every bit as masterful and devastating as The Eye of the Sheep, as well as being utterly addictive.

. shows all the mastery of language that garnered her a Miles Franklin Award two years ago for The Eye of the Sheep. full of richly drawn characters, with a dialogue that crackles and a narrative that draws you right in. Beauty and ugliness sit squatly side by side.

Books + Publishing magazine has called the book ‘emotionally intense, deeply engaging and quietly haunting’, awarding it 5 stars (making THE CHOKE their top-rated book for the quarter).

UK: Gallic Books Russia: Arkadia

Justine is vivid and unique. Laguna's brilliance is in the immersive empathy the reader feels for Justine.

There is great emotional depth to Sofie Laguna's writing, and her characters are alive in their vulnerability and beauty. Sofie Laguna is one of the most gifted writers in Australia right now. Don't miss this.

SOFIE LAGUNA WON the 2018 Indie Award for Fiction with THE CHOKE

It is quite a feat to write characters with such nuance . . . Laguna is an author proving the novel is a crucial document of the times.