‘The Choke’ sold to UK, Europe, Commonwealth

Allen & Unwin (A&U) has sold UK, Europe and Commonwealth (excluding ANZ) rights to Sofie Laguna’s The Choke to London-based Gallic Books, reports the Bookseller.

A&U rights associate Maggie Thompson sold the rights to Gallic Books founder and managing director Jane Aitken.

Laguna’s novel tells the story of a child ‘caught up in the toxic world of bastardised masculinity’. Justine is abandoned by her mother, irregularly visited by her criminal father and brought up by her grandfather, who is debilitated by his memories of the Burma Railway. The novel won in the fiction category at the 2018 Indie Book Awards, and was also shortlisted for the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal.

Aitken said: ‘Justine is a child-narrator like no other, and Laguna’s uncommon talent lends itself to the telling of her story. The Choke touches on a number of difficult themes—domestic violence, sexual assault, PTSD and disability—but it is the beauty of Laguna’s writing that draws the reader in, making this a novel sure to touch the hearts of all who read it.’

The Choke will be published in the UK in March 2019.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions