Fiction Review: The Sentence

If you've ever visited my blog before or watched any of my videos on YouTube, you know that I am a big Louise Erdrich fan! I've reviewed several of her books here before, including LaRose, a moving novel about family and community; Future Home of the Living God, a slightly different novel than most of hers, set in an apocalyptic future; and just last year, The Night Watchman, historical fiction that won the Pulitzer Prize. All of her novels feature Native American characters, Louise herself narrates her own audios (which are outstanding--I listened to all of these on audio), and all of them are warm, funny, powerful, and moving. I wanted to start my reading year off strong, so I chose her latest novel, The Sentence, for my first audiobook of 2022, and I absolutely loved it! It might just be my favorite Louise Erdrich novel ... so far.

Tookie spent many years in prison. The novel begins with the convoluted--and hilarious--story of how she ended up there, and in her 30's, her free life came to an abrupt end, and she was incarcerated. She survived by reading "with murderous attention" everything she could get her hands on, including the dictionary her old high school English teacher sent her. When she got out, she married a man who'd loved her since they were young and found a job in a bookstore, Birch Bark Books, in her hometown of Minneapolis. Birch Bark Books is a real bookstore in Minneapolis, owned by the author, Louise Erdrich! So, Louise appears in the novel as herself, though she is a minor character. On All Souls Day, one of the bookstore's regular customers, Flora, dies, and she begins to haunt the bookstore in death, much as she did during her life. At first, only Tookie can see/sense the ghostly presence, which is quite a burden for her. Then, it is suddenly March 2020 ... and you know what comes next! Tookie and her family and the bookstore employees all have to deal with the pandemic, and then, being in Minneapolis, with the horrifying events in May when George Floyd was murdered by a police officer. As we in the real world know, there are no easy answers to either crisis, but by the end of the novel, Tookie is feeling more at peace.

I feel like I must include a brief excerpt, because Louise Erdrich has such a unique, warm literary voice that is especially wonderful on audio. Here, Tookie describes herself at the beginning of the book:

"I was at a perilous age when I committed my crime. Although in my thirties, I still clung to a teenager's physical pursuits and mental habits. It was 2005, but 1999 was how I partied, drinking and drugging like I was seventeen, although my liver kept trying to tell me it was an outraged decade older. For many reasons, I didn't know who I was yet. Now that I have a better idea, I will tell you this: I am an ugly woman. Not the kind of ugly that guys write or make movies about, where suddenly I have a blast of blinding instructional beauty. I am not about teachable moments. Nor am I beautiful on the inside. I enjoy lying, for instance, and am good at selling people useless things at prices they can't afford. Of course, now that I am rehabilitated, I only sell words. Collections of words between cardboard covers."

I hope that provides a small glimpse into what makes Erdrich's novels--and Tookie--so special. By Tookie's own admission, she is seriously flawed, but that is exactly why we come to love her. That passage also highlights the delightful sense of humor that is woven through every paragraph of this novel (and her others), even when dealing with serious topics. This gentle sense of humor and the flawed characters I came to care about add up to tremendous warmth. I was completely immersed in the story, with Tookie dealing with Flora's ghost, when the date, March 2020, took me by surprise. I hadn't really been paying attention to when the book was set. I have been fascinated by emerging fictional accounts of the pandemic because I know exactly what is coming and the characters don't. It creates a kind of tension in the narrative, as characters create makeshift masks and wonder how long things will remain like this. I also thought the author's handling of George Floyd was perfect; she shows how his death affected the whole community. I just loved Tookie and her friends and family, and I loved coming along with her on this journey of growing and evolving and finding peace.

400 pages, Harper

HarperAudio

My Challenges:

S in the Alphabet Soup Challenge

Diversity Challenge AND January's Mini Challenge: Culture/myths (Native American)

Minnesota in Literary Escapes Challenge

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

 

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Listen to a sample of the wonderful audiobook here, from the start of the book before Tookie went to prison, and/or download it from Audible.

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!

    
  

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