My eyes were full of tears when I finished The Choke. There is great emotional depth to Sofie Laguna’s writing, and her characters are alive in their vulnerability and beauty.

Many things that you no doubt loved in her previous novel, The Eye of the Sheep, are reproduced in The Choke. This is not to say that these novels are entirely similar, but they both have child narrators who are at risk. This sense of danger was so potent – even in the opening chapter – that it was, at first, almost uncomfortable to read. But slowly I opened myself up to Justine, a daughter abandoned by her mother and father, who lives with her ill grandfather in a remote spot in the bush near the river known as the Choke. She’s not abused, but she is somewhat neglected and lives in a hard world dominated by men. At school she is ostracised by the girls because of her learning difficulties and her appearance and demeanour. She develops a fulfilling friendship with a mildly disabled boy and, for a while, we think this story might just end more happily than it began.

But Justine isn’t really alone. And those who should be protecting her cannot safeguard her from people she trusts, even though she shouldn’t trust them. Women are in danger in The Choke, and Justine is growing into a woman. She witnesses – and experiences – some of this violence early in her teenage years.

Your heart will bleed for her, but Justine will win out. She will pick herself up from the point of destruction and turn something awful into something that might just end up beautiful.

Sofie Laguna is one of the most gifted writers in Australia right now. Don’t miss this.

Reviewed by Lauren Cook