The Underworld

Intimate and compassionate. A charismatic and imaginative novel.

Charlotte Callander, Books + Publishing

The underworld is a fresh mastery of [Laguna's] strange balance of abstraction and the everyday. The language is hypnotising. Laguna's rare ability to describe emotion without cliche can be revelatory.

Miriam Cosic, The Saturday Paper

Laguna explores growing up while feeling different and unseen. She navigates Martha's character development - and the pitfalls and dangers of trying not to be different - with compassion and care. The superior skill of her writing means the reader cannot help but be invested in Martha's life desperately wanting her to be happy and loved.

Bob Moore, Good Reading magazine

The latest novel from Sofie Laguna has a lovely beguiling quality from the get-go. It is 1974 and teenager Martha, the only child of wealthy but taciturn parents, has fallen in love with the classics at her elite private school. She is fascinated by ancient cultures’ understanding of the underworld. This becomes an important metaphor for Martha, who seeks distance from her adolescent awkwardness, her family’s internal politics, and her burgeoning understanding of her own sexuality. Laguna elegantly charts her intellectual and sexual awakening through high school, university and to a hopeful glimpse of adulthood.

Sian Cain, The Guardian