Fiction Review: The Sentence

If you've ever visited my blog or watched one of my YouTube videos , you know I'm a huge Louise Erdrich fan! I've reviewed several of her books here, including LaRose , a poignant novel about family and community; A bit different from most of his novels, Future House of the Living God is set in an apocalyptic future. Night Watchman, a historical novel that won the Pulitzer Prize last year. All of her novels feature Native American characters, and Louise herself sings her vocals (which is great—you've all heard it on audio), and they're all warm, funny, powerful, and heartwarming. I wanted to start my reading year off on a high, so I chose her latest novel The Sentence for my first audiobook of 2022, and I absolutely loved it! This might be my favorite Louise Erdrich novel ever…

Tookie spent many years in prison. The novel begins with a twisted and funny story of how he ended up there and how his free life came to an abrupt end in his thirties and he was thrown into prison. He survived by reading anything he could get his hands on with a "mortal interest," including a dictionary sent to him by his high school English teacher. When she left school, she married a man who had loved her since she was young and got a job at Birch Park Books, a bookstore in her hometown of Minneapolis. Birch Bark Books is a real Minneapolis bookstore owned by author Louise Erdrich! Thus, even though Louise is a minor character, she appears as herself in the novel. On Halloween, one of the bookstore's regular customers, Flora, dies, and she begins to haunt the library, as she did in her life. At first, Tookie can only see/feel a ghostly presence that has a real burden on him. Then suddenly it's March 2020... and you know what's coming! Toki, his family and library staff are dealing with the pandemic, followed by the horrific events in Minneapolis in May when a police officer killed George Floyd. As we know in the real world, there are no easy answers to either crisis, but by the end of the novel, Tookie seems calmer.

I feel like I should add a short piece because Louise Erdrich has such a unique and warm literary voice that she's especially great vocally. Toki describes himself at the beginning of the book:

"I was at a dangerous age when I committed the crime. Even though I was in my thirties, I still had the physical activity and mental habits of a teenager. That was in 2005, but in 1999 I was partying, drinking and doing drugs like me. i was seventeen i had a better idea let me tell you i'm an ugly woman and i'm not the ugly type of guys who write or make movies about my hyphenation all of a sudden.dazzling educated beauty.lesson moments.i'm pretty on the inside I'm not, for example, I like to lie and I'm good at selling useless things for a price. I only sell words. Groups of words on a cardboard sleeve.

I hope this gives you an idea of ​​what makes Erdrich's and Toki's novels so special. By Toki's own admission, he has some serious flaws, but that's exactly why we love him. This piece highlights the wonderful sense of humor that permeates every paragraph of this novel (and others), even when it comes to serious matters. His endearing sense of humor and these flawed characters, which I love, add to the genuine warmth. When the date surprised me, in March 2020, I was completely immersed in the story as Tookie dealt with Flora's nightmare. I didn't care when the book was finished. I'm fascinated by the new Pandemic fantasy novels because I know exactly what's coming and the characters don't. This creates a kind of tension in the story as the characters create temporary masks and wonder how long things will stay this way. I also thought the author's relationship with George Floyd was perfect. This shows how his death affects the whole society. I loved Tookie and his friends and family and loved accompanying them on this journey of growth and development and their search for peace.

400 pages, Harper

Harper's voice

my difficulties :

S alphabet soup challenge

January Diversity and Minor Trouble: Culture/Mythology (Native Americans)

Minnesota's Letter Avoidance Challenge

Disclosure: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. My review is my own and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

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Before Tookie goes to jail, listen to a great audiobook sample from the beginning of the book here and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can purchase the book through Bookshop.org , where your purchase will support your choice of independent bookstores (or all independent libraries): keep the ease of online shopping and local shopping!

Or you can order The Sentence from Book Depository with free worldwide shipping .