The Choke

New
Paperback
2019
$15.40

Abandoned by her mother and seldom visited by her unpredictable, violent father, 10-year-old Justine is raised by her grandfather, Pop - a man tormented by visions of war.
Through years of poverty and neglect, Justine finds solace in the staggering natural beauty of the nearby Murray River. But when outside threats infiltrate even this sanctuary, who is there to protect her from danger?
Exposed to a lethal world, Justine must navigate the final years of her precarious childhood alone. She must find ways to endure, she must run when she has to, and, ultimately, she must fight back.
Sofie Laguna, winner of the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award for The Eye of the Sheep, once again shows she is a writer of rare empathy, originality and blazing talent.

Synopsis

Abandoned by her mother and seldom visited by her unpredictable, violent father, 10-year-old Justine is raised by her grandfather, Pop - a man tormented by visions of war.
Through years of poverty and neglect, Justine finds solace in the staggering natural beauty of the nearby Murray River. But when outside threats infiltrate even this sanctuary, who is there to protect her from danger?
Exposed to a lethal world, Justine must navigate the final years of her precarious childhood alone. She must find ways to endure, she must run when she has to, and, ultimately, she must fight back.
Sofie Laguna, winner of the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award for The Eye of the Sheep, once again shows she is a writer of rare empathy, originality and blazing talent.

$15.40

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20 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Publisher: Aardvark Bureau
Published: 28 Mar 2019
ISBN 10: 1910709573
ISBN 13: 9781910709573

Media Reviews

Laguna has beautifully captured the bewilderment of childhood and the emergence of adulthood in her character of Justine. It is so unquestionably heartbreaking... This is an extraordinary read.'--Readings
'The language is pitch-perfect - it is the light in this dark tale...An engrossing exploration of the different ways people can find peace, the different ways humans respond to their environments, the small and large abuses that are constantly overlooked or allowed, and where that line lies.'--The Age
'...the stone Laguna lets fly ricochets inside you for days afterwards.'--The Age
'[Laguna] 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. Beauty and ugliness sit squatly side by side.'--The Big Issue
'The power of this finely crafted novel lies in its raw, high-energy, coruscating language which is the world of young Jimmy Flick, who sees everything...The Eye of the Sheep is an extraordinary novel about love and anger, and how sometimes there is little between them.'--Miles Franklin Literary Award 2015, judges' report
'Utterly addictive'--The Herald Sun
'Truthful and beautiful.'--Newcastle Herald
'Laguna's great skill is in conveying contradictory human depths.'--Adelaide Advertiser
'An authentic voice, an evocation of childhood and memory that, for all its terrors, evokes the sublime, tragic moment when innocence submits to experience. Laguna creates a world and a character and a language that we become immersed within. That she does it with a subject matter of such destructive cruelty, that she does it with such rigor and power, is a testament to her craft, skill, and maturity.'--Christos Tsolkias, author of The Slap
Sofie Laguna has perfected the voice of a child. The Eye of the Sheep is a dark tale told with perfection.'--Culture Trip
'One Foot Wrong is an extraordinary achievement. Hester's voice is orginal and compelling'--The Big Issue
'...a book that is both gritty and utterly exquisite. The Choke is another extraordinary novel from a writer who is never afraid to go deep into the darkest recesses of human depravity and find something beautiful.'--Compulsive Reader
'One Foot Wrong will at times take your breath away...the darkest yet most poignant Alice in Wonderland imaginable.'--Media-Culture
'In her sagacious way, Laguna manages to show both how an upbringing inescapably defines a person and the ways in which a person can rise phoenix-like from their past to create a life of their own reckoning.'--Louise Swinn, The Australian
'...bold writing, where everything is new again: Hester's adult word seen always through the endearing eyes of a child.'--The Australian
'Enriched with creative flair and a unique voice'--Waterstone's Books Quaterly
'Unique and utterly hypnotic'--Emily Maguire, author of Taming the Beast
'By getting inside Jimmy's mind and showing what an amazing place it is, this book goes a long way towards explaining what a library of textbooks could not.'--Sydney Morning Herald

Author Bio

Sofie Laguna's second novel for adults, The Eye of the Sheep--shortlisted for the Stella Prize--won the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award and was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her first novel for adults, One Foot Wrong, published throughout Europe, the US and the UK, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award. Sofie's many books for young people have been published in the US, the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia. She has been shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's Award, and her books have been named Honour Books and Notable Books by the Children's Book Council of Australia. Sofie lives in Melbourne with her husband, illustrator Marc McBride, and their two sons.