The Choke
Apr 2019 · Allen & Unwin
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11 reviews
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384
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About this ebook
The Choke is a mesmerising, harrowing and ultimately uplifting novel from the 2015 Miles Franklin winner.
Winner of the 2018 Indie Book Award for Fiction!
'It is quite a feat to write characters with such nuance...in harnessing her storytelling facility to expose the flaws in the system with what is becoming trademark empathy, Laguna is an author proving the novel is a crucial document of the times.' - Louise Swinn, The Australian
I never had words to ask anybody the questions, so I never had the answers.
Abandoned by her mother and only occasionally visited by her secretive father, Justine is raised by her pop, a man tormented by visions of the Burma Railway. Justine finds sanctuary in Pop's chooks and The Choke, where the banks of the Murray River are so narrow it seems they might touch - a place of staggering natural beauty. But the river can't protect Justine from danger. Her father is a criminal, and the world he exposes her to can be lethal.
Justine is overlooked and underestimated, a shy and often silent observer of her chaotic world. She learns that she has to make sense of it on her own. She has to find ways to survive so much neglect. She must hang on to friendship when it comes, she must hide when she has to, and ultimately she must fight back.
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.
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.
Winner of the 2018 Indie Book Award for Fiction!
'It is quite a feat to write characters with such nuance...in harnessing her storytelling facility to expose the flaws in the system with what is becoming trademark empathy, Laguna is an author proving the novel is a crucial document of the times.' - Louise Swinn, The Australian
I never had words to ask anybody the questions, so I never had the answers.
Abandoned by her mother and only occasionally visited by her secretive father, Justine is raised by her pop, a man tormented by visions of the Burma Railway. Justine finds sanctuary in Pop's chooks and The Choke, where the banks of the Murray River are so narrow it seems they might touch - a place of staggering natural beauty. But the river can't protect Justine from danger. Her father is a criminal, and the world he exposes her to can be lethal.
Justine is overlooked and underestimated, a shy and often silent observer of her chaotic world. She learns that she has to make sense of it on her own. She has to find ways to survive so much neglect. She must hang on to friendship when it comes, she must hide when she has to, and ultimately she must fight back.
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.
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.
The Choke is a mesmerising, harrowing and ultimately uplifting novel from the 2015 Miles Franklin winner.
Winner of the 2018 Indie Book Award for Fiction!
'It is quite a feat to write characters with such nuance...in harnessing her storytelling facility to expose the flaws in the system with wh...
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Ratings and reviews
11 reviews
Cheryl-lee Holcombe
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April 21, 2018
I wasn't a fan of Laguna's first two novels for adults but... The Choke is
the best Australian fiction that I have read for years. Try not to get to
choked up as you read it.
Na Ap
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August 22, 2018
Amazing book. An extraordinary read - I was drawn in and drawn along and utterly overwhelmed. A complete treasure of a book.
1 person found this review helpful
A Google user
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September 19, 2017
What an amazing story about a young girl born into a dysfunctional family and her struggle with dyslexia
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
Sofie Laguna won the 2018 Indie Book Award for Fiction for The Choke and her 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.
Sofie Laguna won the 2018 Indie Book Award for Fiction for The Choke and her 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 adul...
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