The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Fiction
What it’s about: Ghosts, turbulent times, and a love of books and bookselling are key to this darkly humorous literary novel. Tookie—convicted of a bungled attempt at body snatching and released from prison only to marry the cop who arrested her—is now, much to her surprise, working in a bookstore. Like many people, Tookie is haunted by her past (both personal and ancestral), but she is also haunted by a very real ghost who is becoming increasingly intrusive and aggressive. Set in Minneapolis beginning in the fall of 2019—just at the onset of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and a year of protests and unrest.
Starring: Tookie—prickly and tough on the outside but learning to open up; her husband, Pollux—a natural leader who is challenged by his own mistakes; and the ghost, Flora—the bookstore’s most annoying customer.
Critics say: “More than a gripping ghost story, this offers profound insights into the effects of the global pandemic and the collateral damage of systemic racism. It adds up to one of Erdrich’s most sprawling and illuminating works to date” (Publishers Weekly); “Rising from last summer’s ashes and honoring its ghosts, The Sentence is the perfect book to read right now, an unpolished, intense, politically passionate, sorrowful, comic masterpiece” (Julie Phillips, 4Columns).
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