Book of the Month: The Underworld by Sofie Laguna

Books in the Brewery is a free casual event combining great beer with good chat and an Aussie novel. Readers and drinkers are invited to take part in a guided conversation with our resident host.

Maylands meetings will be held at 6pm on the second Monday of the month.

Adult readers of all experience are invited to think and talk about books in a safe and encouraging space. Expect to be discussing books from both award-winning Australian authors and new voices from around the country.

To stay updated on the latest book selection and event details, follow us on Instagram at @booksinthebrewery and join the conversation by subscribing to our Substack newsletter.

This event is supported by the City of Bayswater.

About the book: The much awaited new novel from the Miles Franklin Award-winning author, Sofie Laguna.

The Underworld is for every reader you know; thinkers, laughers, empaths, quirky folk, queer folk, nostalgists, the young and those getting on. Readers seeking a happy ending and anyone ready to feel. Anyone who has ever been fourteen.

Martha Mullins is a misfit. Her mother is glamorous, aloof and judgemental. Her father, mostly absent. Academic and shy, Martha finds herself fascinated by the underworld, a place she learns about in Roman mythology classes at school. To Martha, the underworld and its divine inhabitants provide a place of refuge, escape, imagination and desire.

But Martha also finds joy in friendship. Connection. Intimacy. It’s Martha’s band of friends who show her the value in spontaneity, fun, laughter.

Until things go wrong.

How will Martha find her way in the world where she cannot be herself? Will she ever find a home for the love she feels?

The Underworld is a wondrous novel from an author who wields her considerable powers with assuredness and grace. Funny, brave, insightful and clever, Martha will break your heart – then mend it – many times over.