Book review : The Choke - Sofie Laguna

The Choke is the name of a stretch of the Murray River that runs along by the home of Justine Lee, a young Australian girl who lives with her Pop. Her Dad comes and goes, putting in the occasional visit to see his kids, and her Mum just took off one day and never came back. Things are pretty good though, as far as Justine is concerned. She's happy enough helping to look after the chickens, playing with her half-brothers in their dens and becoming friends with a boy at school. Told in Justine's narrative voice, the novel touches on a few details that - to an adult - sound slightly off, but to Justine, it's just her normal home life and she's happy enough with it.

During one of her father's visits, things take a definite turn for the worse however. After he visits a local girl, the police turn up and arrest him for rape. Her Pop is admirable and, despite his failing health and inner demons, manages to keep life on an even keel, even when things get complicated. Unfortunately for Justine though, the sins of the fathers are often visited upon the children and her life is about to get even trickier.

The book is full of so many references to things that seem to be going badly wrong beneath the surface, but these are only evident to the adult reader, not the childish narrator of the story. Sarcastic comments from the kids at school about needing a bath, the teachers' ignorance of her obvious dyslexia, her half-brothers' games full of playful violence and threat ... Justine could certainly do with a mother figure to help mould her into a resilient and fully prepared young woman. While she certainly has the moral strength to deal with whatever life can throw at her, she is sadly lacking in common sense and awareness of the world around her.

Justine is a lovely girl, with a kind heart and a great sense of self-sufficiency and resilience. She is totally gullible and unprepared for the dangers of real life though, and watching her in the scenes when she is growing up and turning into a young woman had my mum-sensors kicking off big time. I just wanted to reach into the book and hoik her out to safety, giving her a big hug and a decent meal to keep her going. It seems unbelievable that social services wouldn't step in and keep an eye on this dysfunctional family, but Australia is a big place and I'm sure the story echoes many real life situations that exist, especially on the edges of society.

While the book may seem hopeless and sad, Justine becomes the hero of her own life, taking things into her own hands and making sure she gets the future that she wants. She is pretty much the lone female figure in her surroundings, besides a few classmates and their mums, so it was heartwarming to see her come out on top, calling on her aunt to help her out when she hits rock bottom. Against all odds, I can see Justine having a happy life - in any case, it's certainly what she deserves.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £8.99

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Aardvark Bureau (28 Mar. 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1910709573
• ISBN-13: 978-1910709573

Disclosure : I received a review copy in order to share my honest opinion of the book.