The Sentence
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- Create Date：2021-11-11 08:21:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Louise Erdrich
- ISBN：B08TWYG991
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Summary
In this powerful and timely novel， National Book Award winning author Louise Erdrich explores how the burdens of history， and especially identity， appropriation， exploitation， and violence done to human beings in the name of justice， manifest in ordinary lives today。
Revolving around a small independent bookstore in contemporary Minneapolis， The Sentence follows a turbulent year in the life of a strong though vulnerable Ojibwe woman named Tookie。
After serving part of an outrageously long sentence， Tookie， who “learned to read with murderous attention” while in prison， naturally gravitates toward working at a bookstore。 There she joins a dedicated community of artists and book lovers and begins to build a new life for herself。
When Flora， the store’s most persistent customer， suddenly dies， her ghost refuses to leave。 Flora returns on All Soul’s Day to haunt the bookstore and in particular， Tookie。 Why？ The mystery of this revenant’s appearance leads Asema， a fellow Ojibwe bookseller， and Tookie to a shocking personal discovery with historical reverberations。 Tookie finds that this year of disease， violence， and political upheaval is， on a worldwide scale， a year of ghosts and hauntings。
A complicated love finds Tookie as well when Pollux， who has been in love with her for years， proposes， and they marry。 Pollux was the tribal police officer who arrested Tookie all those years ago for a crime which turned out to be more serious than Tookie knew。 How Pollux and Tookie overcome past betrayal and learn to trust each other is a challenge that will either deepen or destroy their love。
The Sentence begins on All Soul’s Day 2019 and ends on All Soul’s Day 2020。 Its mystery and proliferating ghost stories during this one year propel a narrative as rich， emotional， and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written。
Revolving around a small independent bookstore in contemporary Minneapolis， The Sentence follows a turbulent year in the life of a strong though vulnerable Ojibwe woman named Tookie。
After serving part of an outrageously long sentence， Tookie， who “learned to read with murderous attention” while in prison， naturally gravitates toward working at a bookstore。 There she joins a dedicated community of artists and book lovers and begins to build a new life for herself。
When Flora， the store’s most persistent customer， suddenly dies， her ghost refuses to leave。 Flora returns on All Soul’s Day to haunt the bookstore and in particular， Tookie。 Why？ The mystery of this revenant’s appearance leads Asema， a fellow Ojibwe bookseller， and Tookie to a shocking personal discovery with historical reverberations。 Tookie finds that this year of disease， violence， and political upheaval is， on a worldwide scale， a year of ghosts and hauntings。
A complicated love finds Tookie as well when Pollux， who has been in love with her for years， proposes， and they marry。 Pollux was the tribal police officer who arrested Tookie all those years ago for a crime which turned out to be more serious than Tookie knew。 How Pollux and Tookie overcome past betrayal and learn to trust each other is a challenge that will either deepen or destroy their love。
The Sentence begins on All Soul’s Day 2019 and ends on All Soul’s Day 2020。 Its mystery and proliferating ghost stories during this one year propel a narrative as rich， emotional， and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written。
Reviews
luce
，
I loved the first 30% of this but then it kind of lost me。 Review to come。
Lyra
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Amazing， wonderful， heart breaking， and heart warming。 What on the surface sounds like the story of a haunted bookstore is so much more。 The narrator， Tookie， reveals the lived injustices members of the indigenous community have faced， but rather than reveling in tragedy （of which there is much - both Covid and George Floyd are part of the story）， Erdrich is thoughtful and hopeful。 This is one that will stay with me a long time。
Sasha
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**** I received an ARC for review rom Harper Books。 This is an honest， unbiased review。****While Louise Erdrich’s new novel， The Sentence， is about a lot of things， it was， for me， about time。 By which， I mean， this book is about the passage of time， the way time stretches and meanders and also catapults us forward。 It’s that messy new understanding of time we all have after the past couple of years。In The Sentence， we follow Tookie， a formerly incarcerated Indigenous woman who received an inter **** I received an ARC for review rom Harper Books。 This is an honest， unbiased review。****While Louise Erdrich’s new novel， The Sentence， is about a lot of things， it was， for me， about time。 By which， I mean， this book is about the passage of time， the way time stretches and meanders and also catapults us forward。 It’s that messy new understanding of time we all have after the past couple of years。In The Sentence， we follow Tookie， a formerly incarcerated Indigenous woman who received an interminable sentence from “a judge who believed in the afterlife。” Following her release， Tookie begins working at a certain bookstore in Minneapolis and her life goes on， or at least that’s what it seems， until her most annoying customer dies in November of 2019。 What follows is a ghost story， a haunting not just by people but by history and our present moment。As with all of Erdrich’s work， this novel is lush with layered meaning。 There’s so much to think through in this story about ghosts， books， sentences， loss， love， and time。 It’s also a book that directly asks the reader to deal with traumatic colonial practices of incarcerating Indigenous women， the pandemic， and the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent Uprising in Minneapolis。If you’re from Minneapolis， if you were there during the pandemic and Uprising of May 2020， you will likely know exactly what I mean when I say time became a murky mess and what really mattered most was living in community。 Reading this novel brought me back home and did so by making me a witness to Tookie’s story， not merely my own。If you’re not from Minneapolis， it’s hard to describe the way the summer of 2020 is a specter， residual trauma marking the city in ways that are sometimes unexpected。 Yet that haunting also exposes important lessons we all need to keep remembering: this is what violence and dehumanization does and this is the result of community refusing to take any more。 Erdrich talks about ghosts as not inherently negative beings， how， in a world that is haunted， particularly by colonialism and enslavement and imperialism， dealing with hauntings is a vital step towards becoming in some small way un-haunted。I can say emphatically that this book will not be for everyone， even die-hard fans of Erdrich's work。 Her craft is as expected， but the content of this novel really requires the reader to engage with the past two years。 There are no easy answers and there is a lot of discomfort， but， like all of her catalog， the payoff is immense， emotionally fulfilling， and deeply inspiring。Rounded up from 4。5 stars 。。。more
Ron Charles
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The coronavirus pandemic is still raging away and God knows we’ll be reading novels about it for years， but Louise Erdrich’s “The Sentence” may be the best one we ever get。 Neither a grim rehashing of the lockdown nor an apocalyptic exaggeration of the virus， her book offers the kind of fresh reflection only time can facilitate， and yet it’s so current the ink feels wet。Such is the mystery of Erdrich’s work， and “The Sentence” is among her most magical novels， switching tones with the felicity o The coronavirus pandemic is still raging away and God knows we’ll be reading novels about it for years， but Louise Erdrich’s “The Sentence” may be the best one we ever get。 Neither a grim rehashing of the lockdown nor an apocalyptic exaggeration of the virus， her book offers the kind of fresh reflection only time can facilitate， and yet it’s so current the ink feels wet。Such is the mystery of Erdrich’s work， and “The Sentence” is among her most magical novels， switching tones with the felicity of a mockingbird。 She notes that the Native American language of her ancestors “includes intricate forms of human relationships and infinite ways to joke，” and she fully explores that spectrum in these pages: A zany crime caper gives way to the horrors of police brutality; lives ruined flip suddenly into redemption; the deaths of half-a-million Americans play out while a grumpy ghost causes mischief。 But the abiding presence here is love。And books — so many books。 This is a novel packed to its spine with other books。 I was keeping track of each one mentioned until I discovered Erdrich’s appendix， which lists more than 150 beloved titles。 Be prepared: “The Sentence” is that rare novel about the life-transforming effect of literature that arrives with its own。 。 。 。 To read the rest of this review， go to The Washington Post:https://www。washingtonpost。com/entert。。。 。。。more
Suzanne
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Author Louise Erdrich is beloved by so many and this is the first book of hers that I have read。 THE SENTENCE is Tookie’s tale from beginning to end and she is literate， entertaining， and completely unreliable。 Just when you think her tale cannot get any weirder， she beguiles you with an intimacy so raw and detailed that you wonder what all the other fluff was about。 Tookie begins in jail， punished for a crime she hardly acknowledges， and quickly finds herself working in a bookstore haunted by a Author Louise Erdrich is beloved by so many and this is the first book of hers that I have read。 THE SENTENCE is Tookie’s tale from beginning to end and she is literate， entertaining， and completely unreliable。 Just when you think her tale cannot get any weirder， she beguiles you with an intimacy so raw and detailed that you wonder what all the other fluff was about。 Tookie begins in jail， punished for a crime she hardly acknowledges， and quickly finds herself working in a bookstore haunted by an unpleasant customer。 In no time at all， she is married to her arresting officer and has formed a new， more normal life， except for the ghost， the Pandemic and the Summer of 2020。 This is a big messy book with a lot of heart。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more
Theresa Smith Writes
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This is a magnificent novel。 Anyone at all who loves books， bookstores， books about books， and books set in bookstores， needs to read The Sentence。 As if that wasn’t enough， there is so much more to this novel， which encapsulates every single thing I love within a novel: comedy， passion， social and political history， philosophy， injustice， contemporary events examined within the freedoms of fiction， amazing characters， a complex deeply moving and involving storyline， and…a ghost。 Now， the novel This is a magnificent novel。 Anyone at all who loves books， bookstores， books about books， and books set in bookstores， needs to read The Sentence。 As if that wasn’t enough， there is so much more to this novel， which encapsulates every single thing I love within a novel: comedy， passion， social and political history， philosophy， injustice， contemporary events examined within the freedoms of fiction， amazing characters， a complex deeply moving and involving storyline， and…a ghost。 Now， the novel I read before this one also had a ghost in it， quite by coincidence， and it didn’t really work for me。 Ironic that in the very next novel I read， there is a ghost， and it works for me perfectly。 Just reaffirms that each book needs to be taken as a fresh new experience。‘The touch was real， and not gentle。 She was beginning to manifest。 Something in the diseased air， something in the trauma of the greater conversation， something in the ache of the unknown， something in the closing down or her trial by fire， was giving her more power。’As an added little bonus to your entertainment， Louise Erdrich has inserted herself into this novel as a character named Louise， who is a famous author and also the owner of the bookshop within the novel， so basically， herself。 I thought this was fantastic。 And given the contemporary nature of the novel， which spans a year from November 2019 through to November 2020， this， to me， gave it an authentic layer。 It’s fiction， but it’s not， if you know what I mean。 Louise is not the main character though， that’s Tookie， who I adored， despite all her prickles and sledgehammer ways。 Tookie is the sort of unforgettable character that you’re talking about in literary conversations years after a book has been released。 The layers to her were many and her trauma ran deep through all of them。 As we walk through an intensely difficult year alongside her， we see the layers between her trauma and coping mechanisms gradually dissolve。 But like all masterpieces， that’s not all there is to the story。 The Sentence is an ‘own voices’ story， and it delivers with intent。 The author is indigenous to America， the characters are， and the story is very much a reckoning。‘The crevice was edging deeper。 Everything seemed to be cracking: windows， windshields， hearts， lungs， skulls。 We may be a striver city of blue progressives in a sea of red， but we are also a city of historically sequestered neighbourhoods and old hatreds that die hard or leave a residue that is invisible to the well and wealthy， but chokingly present to the ill and the exploited。’The year that this story walks through is a year unlike any other for the characters within in this novel， but also， for humanity。 It is the year where Covid entered and took hold of the world， and while in the grips of this worldwide pandemic， a man named George Floyd was murdered by the police in Minneapolis， igniting racial fury across the globe。 This story unfolds within that space。 It is a story that shows， with immense care， how the burdens of history inform the present。 It’s also a novel of Americans trying to grapple with and make sense of their nation within this space and time。 For a novel that contains such heavy themes and is set against such a volatile background， it is surprisingly readable and wholly enjoyable。 The addition of Flora， the ghost， offered a medium through which to explore the sins of the past as well as create a platform of hope for the future。 Above all， this is a novel about books and the portable power of them to anchor people and affect lives。 I will close in the way in which I opened: this novel is magnificent。Thanks to the publisher for the review copy。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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Magnificent novel of love and ghosts in the time of COVID and protest in Minneapolis。 And， a bonus for readers because you might， like me， find a new book to read based on Tookie's recommendations to customers （as well as from Ehrdich's list at the end）。 Set largely over 2020， it's the story of Tookie， who， upon release from prison for an unusual crime， married Pollux， the tribal cop who arrested her， and went to work in Erdich's bookstore in Minneapolis。 She's made a home there in the stacks bu Magnificent novel of love and ghosts in the time of COVID and protest in Minneapolis。 And， a bonus for readers because you might， like me， find a new book to read based on Tookie's recommendations to customers （as well as from Ehrdich's list at the end）。 Set largely over 2020， it's the story of Tookie， who， upon release from prison for an unusual crime， married Pollux， the tribal cop who arrested her， and went to work in Erdich's bookstore in Minneapolis。 She's made a home there in the stacks but now Flora， a pest of a customer， has died and her ghost has taken up residence。 And Hetta。 Pollux's "daughter" has come to stay along with her infant son Jarvis。 I loved this for the characters- the women who work at Birchbark books as well as the customers （and their questions）- as well as for the subtleties。 Yes it's a pandemic book and a protest book but Erdich keeps the people at the forefront and personalizes things that sometimes felt too big during 2020。 There are wonderful small things， such as a beloved customer's beloved dog， and the story of Jarvis' father （there's more to him than you might think initially）。 And Tookie's love for Pollux: has she forgiven him for arresting her？ Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 Highly recommend。 And the ending。。。。。。。 。。。more
Mark Robenson
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perfect
Sarah-Hope
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One of the greatest strengths of Louise Erdrich's The Sentence is its untidiness: it never spins completely out of control， but it goes off in many directions， and some threads are more closely woven than others。 This is what life is like。 Life isn't the tidily ordered narrative arc that fiction tries to convince us it is。 Life is a mess， with thoughts， feelings， pressures， hopes， and resentments all bubbling up simultaneously。The central character， Tookie， is Native American， an ex-con betrayed One of the greatest strengths of Louise Erdrich's The Sentence is its untidiness: it never spins completely out of control， but it goes off in many directions， and some threads are more closely woven than others。 This is what life is like。 Life isn't the tidily ordered narrative arc that fiction tries to convince us it is。 Life is a mess， with thoughts， feelings， pressures， hopes， and resentments all bubbling up simultaneously。The central character， Tookie， is Native American， an ex-con betrayed in the strangest of ways by friends， and now married to Pollux， the former tribal policeman who originally arrested her。 In 2020， with her prison time behind her， her marriage a source of stability and joy， she finds herself launched into unresolved events that we continue to wrestle with: the COVID epidemic and the Black Lives Matter movement。 The Sentence is set in Minnesota outside the Twin Cities， which really was a hub for both COVID and BLM。The bookstore where Tookie has been working is not only struggling to survive the pandemic—its being haunted by a particularly irritating former customer。 Plus， that bookstore is Birchbark Books， the real-world bookstore owned by Erdrich， who has a bit of a cameo appearance in her own novel （calling to mind Alfred Hitchcock's brief appearances in his own films）。 There's Pollux's niece and her infant son who show up just in time to find themselves isolating in place along with Tookie and Pollux。 Basically—chaos。 And I find it truthful and oddly comforting to have a novel that teeters on that foundation of chaos， asks me to embrace the real and the supernatural， sends me out on forays into protests and the pandemic along with its characters， documents the care they take trying to protect one another from both COVID and the risks of standing up to insist that we confront the racialized violence that permeates law enforcement， and lets me spend time in a truly amazing bookstore alongside its employees and customers。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Suellen
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• Recommended in ModernMrsDarcy。com 2021 Fall Book Preview #MMDBookClub
Samantha
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Despite the fact that this is a story about ghosts and books， this book feels so human。 （Perhaps due in some small part to the fact the Louise wrote herself into this book as a character。） I was describing this to someone not long after I started it and said that reading it feels like sitting with a friend， and I still think that after finishing it。 I will miss Tookie， Pollux， Hetta， and Asema now that this read is over。The Sentence is a ghost story， a love letter to books and reading， a pandemi Despite the fact that this is a story about ghosts and books， this book feels so human。 （Perhaps due in some small part to the fact the Louise wrote herself into this book as a character。） I was describing this to someone not long after I started it and said that reading it feels like sitting with a friend， and I still think that after finishing it。 I will miss Tookie， Pollux， Hetta， and Asema now that this read is over。The Sentence is a ghost story， a love letter to books and reading， a pandemic book， a book about family and marriage， a book about how history ties us together and pulls us apart， and a book about community。 I found myself rereading sentences out loud to myself because they were so lovely。 I finished reading this on All Soul's Day by accident， but at the same time it feels like no accident at all。 。。。more
Dorie - Cats&Books :）
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First off I’d like to state that I’m a huge fan of Ms。 Erdrich’s writing， “The Night Watchman” was a top 10 book for me from 2021。 It won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for fiction。I went into this book blind， guided only by the blurb， I should know better。 I was expecting a “wickedly funny ghost story” but what I read was far from funny。I do like books about bookstores as I have worked in independent bookstores for many， many years。 I enjoyed the parts of the book that took place during the “haunting” First off I’d like to state that I’m a huge fan of Ms。 Erdrich’s writing， “The Night Watchman” was a top 10 book for me from 2021。 It won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for fiction。I went into this book blind， guided only by the blurb， I should know better。 I was expecting a “wickedly funny ghost story” but what I read was far from funny。I do like books about bookstores as I have worked in independent bookstores for many， many years。 I enjoyed the parts of the book that took place during the “haunting” and how it was dealt with。 Flora， one of their most persistent and at times annoying customers， dies on All Souls Day but her ghost refuses to leave the store。 It is enough to unsettle Tookie and she tries all manner of ways to deal with it。The main character， Tookie， is an Ojibwe woman。 She is a hard character to understand at times。 We see her progress from a convicted felon to a happily married woman。 Her story is interesting but I didn’t find her relatable。 She is quick to judge and slow to learn patience and acceptance。 I appreciated all of the introductions to Native American traditions and culture。 I particularly liked Tookie’s husband， an ex-policeman， who is a good counter-balance to Tookie’s character。What I did not enjoy and was not prepared for was the large portion of the book that made me viscerally revisit the pandemic and in particular the George Floyd protests。 A large part of this book takes place during this time but it isn’t just in the background of the story， the characters are immersed in what is going on。 I can’t say more without giving away the plot。I felt myself being propelled back to that horrible time and made to revisit everything; the virus， the protests， the riots， the destruction。 I wasn’t ready for this。 There is no way that I will forget 2020 and I wasn’t ready for a detailed revisit。 Many subjects are covered in this book and I think every reader will have a different personal experience with this novel。 For me it was too much， too soon！！I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss。 。。。more
Kelsey
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So excited this new Louise Erdrich story is out in the world！ It follows Tookie， a tough woman with a tender heart who works at Erdrich’s real life bookstore in Minneapolis。 One of their long time customers dies and begins haunting the bookstore in November 2019。 The story follows Tookie， her family， and the bookstore for a year， into covid and the racial reckoning in Minneapolis in spring 2020。 It is written with Erdrich’s characteristic heart and humor， and has some incredible insights into a So excited this new Louise Erdrich story is out in the world！ It follows Tookie， a tough woman with a tender heart who works at Erdrich’s real life bookstore in Minneapolis。 One of their long time customers dies and begins haunting the bookstore in November 2019。 The story follows Tookie， her family， and the bookstore for a year， into covid and the racial reckoning in Minneapolis in spring 2020。 It is written with Erdrich’s characteristic heart and humor， and has some incredible insights into a time that already feels long ago， considering how much can happen in a year。If you think it’s too soon to read about these events， that’s a fair point and I understand。 But I found value in reading it from Erdrich’s perspective， and appreciated the fresh insights it gave me as someone who is white and doesn’t live in Minneapolis。 I really recommend it; it’s a great， cozy， impactful book to read as the days get shorter。 。。。more
Lizanne Johnson
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When I started this book， I wasn’t sure how I felt。 After chapter two and the farther I read， the more I loved it。 Tookie is a Native American ex-con who is as complicated as you would expect。 She works in a bookstore that is haunted by her most annoying customer。 Tookie is far from perfect。 She feels so human as she deals with life that has no easy answers。 I loved the way Louise Erdrich included all that is happening in the country - the pandemic， the fight for social justice。 She has such a d When I started this book， I wasn’t sure how I felt。 After chapter two and the farther I read， the more I loved it。 Tookie is a Native American ex-con who is as complicated as you would expect。 She works in a bookstore that is haunted by her most annoying customer。 Tookie is far from perfect。 She feels so human as she deals with life that has no easy answers。 I loved the way Louise Erdrich included all that is happening in the country - the pandemic， the fight for social justice。 She has such a distinct voice that drives the tone， revealing the thoughts and feelings of the characters。 This is not a book to read lightly。 After a few weeks， this book still hovers in the corners of my mind。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alicia
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https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/1。。。So I always love whatever Erdrich writes， but man， I LOVED THIS。 It's a bit of a departure in that it’s not set in Erdrich's usual fictional world—BECAUSE IT'S SET IN THE MF-ING BOOKSTORE THAT SHE OWNS IN REAL LIFE！ Are you kidding me？！ I am pretty sure all the characters are fictional （except for， you know， the owner Louise， who appears here and there in the background）， and probably her store is not actually haunted by a very annoying deceased customer？ https://wordnerdy。blogspot。com/2021/1。。。So I always love whatever Erdrich writes， but man， I LOVED THIS。 It's a bit of a departure in that it’s not set in Erdrich's usual fictional world—BECAUSE IT'S SET IN THE MF-ING BOOKSTORE THAT SHE OWNS IN REAL LIFE！ Are you kidding me？！ I am pretty sure all the characters are fictional （except for， you know， the owner Louise， who appears here and there in the background）， and probably her store is not actually haunted by a very annoying deceased customer？ Aaaaanyway， the protagonist and narrator is Tookie， who gets a job at the bookstore after being released from prison （her sixty year sentence was commuted）， and at first you’re like， this is going to be a fun and sweet book！ Tookie has an interesting personal life and their coworkers are an amazing cast of characters！ And then you get to a heading that reads “February 2020” and the realities of the past year and a half hit you in the face like a brick （not just Covid—the bookstore is in Minneapolis， and the sadness of the George Floyd murder and the protests play a part）。 Not to mention the ghost going from annoying to slightly more sinister。 And yet Erdrich somehow brings it all home。 So good。 A。__A review copy was provided by the publisher。 This book will be released on November 9th。 。。。more
Lovely Loveday
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The Sentence by Louise Erdrich is a captivating read that pulled me in from the beginning。 The character development， including a brilliant backstory of the protagonist， is well-written and full of unexpected insights that slowly come to light at just the right time to pull you in even more。 Overall， a fast-paced read that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat。
Libriar
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4。5 stars。 This contemporary ghost story set in Minneapolis at the start of the pandemic has lots of different， interesting threads that come together in a sometimes darkly humorous but never scary way。 It will make for a great book club book because there are so many things to discuss: Native American identity， systematic racism， the pandemic， books， and the meta way that Erdrich places herself as a character in the book。 ARC provided through NetGalley。
Linda
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This novel is so complex， so current， and so passionate that it begs to be read and not just summed up in a review。 One of my favorite things is the author has written herself and her real-life bookstore into the book！ Parts of this story are difficult reading as it deals with the painful events in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020 but it also has ghosts， COVID， a possible werewolf， drugs， and some Native American history。Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC to read a This novel is so complex， so current， and so passionate that it begs to be read and not just summed up in a review。 One of my favorite things is the author has written herself and her real-life bookstore into the book！ Parts of this story are difficult reading as it deals with the painful events in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020 but it also has ghosts， COVID， a possible werewolf， drugs， and some Native American history。Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more
Jessica
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Thank you to Harper for selecting me to be one of the 25 winners of an advanced copy of The Sentence by Louise Erdrich in the Goodreads giveaway。 This was the first book I read by this author and it will not be the last。
Melinda
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There aren't enough stars for this book。 There aren't enough stars for this book。 。。。more
Janet
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Pandemic novels will surely be part of our reading landscape for the foreseeable future。 The Sentence is the first one I’ve read set during the pandemic。 To be more specific， the story begins on All Souls Day 2019 and ends exactly one year later。 It’s set in Minneapolis， in fact in Louise Erdrich’s own bookstore， “Birchbark Books”。 （As a personal aside， I well remember my one visit to this wonderful bookshop in 2017 while in town for a conference， when a bunch of us librarians made a pilgrimage Pandemic novels will surely be part of our reading landscape for the foreseeable future。 The Sentence is the first one I’ve read set during the pandemic。 To be more specific， the story begins on All Souls Day 2019 and ends exactly one year later。 It’s set in Minneapolis， in fact in Louise Erdrich’s own bookstore， “Birchbark Books”。 （As a personal aside， I well remember my one visit to this wonderful bookshop in 2017 while in town for a conference， when a bunch of us librarians made a pilgrimage to this very special store）。 Erdrich appears in the novel as herself， and Tookie， the narrator， like Erdrich， also a Native American， works at the store。 Tookie is haunted by the ghost of Flora， a recently departed customer。 Why Flora haunts Tookie and how Tookie and her family and friends work together to solve this mystery is the predominant plot line， buttressed by a few others， including how a love of reading can radically change lives for the better。During this pandemic year， the May 2020 death in Minneapolis of George Floyd and all that followed “as the City grieved and burned” are passages written with a visceral sense of authenticity; they are recounted by a local who knows every street， every shop and restaurant that were to become part of national and international video footage showing protesters clashing with police， first in Minneapolis， then lighting a spark of protests in cities all over the U。S。 and around the world。 During this year of the plague， much happens: a baby enters into Tookie's life， a city is pulled apart by George Floyd's death， sickness threatens。 And yet， the story is often funny， while sometimes dark， and always engaging。 A highly recommended novel。 Grateful thanks to the publisher for having made a copy available via NetGalley 。。。more
Angela
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A real life story of what it is like to work in an independent bookstore。 A fabulous book。
Mary
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Loved this storyline and read。
Kristine
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Hmm。 I love Tookie。 I loved her life and her loves， and her insecurities and worries。 And the book store during covid vibe was spot on。 It was a little esoteric at times though。 Erdrich is a brilliant writer and the facts she blended with the fiction are appreciated and much needed by readers。
PfromJ
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This is perfect Erdrich， reminiscent of her earlier work。 From its incredible beginning through its rich characters and story， to the gift of a bonus reading list at the end， I’d call The Sentence exquisite。
Kathy N
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The sentence。 A brilliant title， intertwined throughout the book in all of its definitions。 That alone gets the five star rating。 Deep， thought provoking and all the other buzz words that describe a book that takes your heart and stomps on it， tossing it around until you don’t think you can take anymore。It explores the issue of the COVID 19 pandemic， the uproar and tragedy that was the summer of 2020， and even more of the pandemic。 I thought it would be too soon， how would it be possible to proc The sentence。 A brilliant title， intertwined throughout the book in all of its definitions。 That alone gets the five star rating。 Deep， thought provoking and all the other buzz words that describe a book that takes your heart and stomps on it， tossing it around until you don’t think you can take anymore。It explores the issue of the COVID 19 pandemic， the uproar and tragedy that was the summer of 2020， and even more of the pandemic。 I thought it would be too soon， how would it be possible to process 2020 and put into words a year later？ By taking a deep dive into one woman’s journey through a tumultuous year。 Well done。Thank you NetGalley。 。。。more
Candie
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WOW！ This book blew me away。 I love Tookie！！ The thought of having our least favorite customer haunt our bookstore was terrifying。 Seriously the description of the anxiety of working in the bookstore during the height of the pandemic was absolutely spot on along with being grateful for customers。 The feelings about George Floyd and the terror in the streets- just so well crafted。 Along with all that， there were scenes that made me laugh out loud。 This was such a satisfying book to me as a bookse WOW！ This book blew me away。 I love Tookie！！ The thought of having our least favorite customer haunt our bookstore was terrifying。 Seriously the description of the anxiety of working in the bookstore during the height of the pandemic was absolutely spot on along with being grateful for customers。 The feelings about George Floyd and the terror in the streets- just so well crafted。 Along with all that， there were scenes that made me laugh out loud。 This was such a satisfying book to me as a bookseller， reader and human being。 Thank you Louise！ 。。。more
J。
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I found this book to be mesmerizing。 It also， to me at least， screams out to be a book group choice。Flora a rather obnoxious do-gooder book store regular dies but doesn’t go to her final rest she stays at the bookstore。 She is haunting Tookie， an amazingly well read ex-con who works there。 Why？ How to get rid of her ？ These questions plague Tookie while she deals with life around her。 Life that includes George Floyd and Covid-19。 Set in Minneapolis and covering the period between November 2019 t I found this book to be mesmerizing。 It also， to me at least， screams out to be a book group choice。Flora a rather obnoxious do-gooder book store regular dies but doesn’t go to her final rest she stays at the bookstore。 She is haunting Tookie， an amazingly well read ex-con who works there。 Why？ How to get rid of her ？ These questions plague Tookie while she deals with life around her。 Life that includes George Floyd and Covid-19。 Set in Minneapolis and covering the period between November 2019 to November 2020 it was timely。 As a reader I relived the George Floyd and COVID-19 outbreak， relating my experiences to the wonderful characters。 。。。more
Georgette
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Tookie is one of my favorite Erdrich leads in a LONG time。 I saw the big reveal coming， but it was still a very good read。
Rachel
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Tookie， the main character is a convicted felon， who now works at an indie bookstore in Minneapolis。 Married to Pollux， a former tribal cop， she leads a comfortable life until she finds the bookstore haunted by a former customer， and the events of 2020 begin to unfold。 In spite of the heavy topics （pandemic， police violence， Native justice）， this book was oddly delightful and made me laugh。 The cast of characters was perfectly weird in all the right ways。 The haunting plot did not always make se Tookie， the main character is a convicted felon， who now works at an indie bookstore in Minneapolis。 Married to Pollux， a former tribal cop， she leads a comfortable life until she finds the bookstore haunted by a former customer， and the events of 2020 begin to unfold。 In spite of the heavy topics （pandemic， police violence， Native justice）， this book was oddly delightful and made me laugh。 The cast of characters was perfectly weird in all the right ways。 The haunting plot did not always make sense but this was an overall 5 star read and highly recommended。 #TheSentence #NetGalley 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Sentence
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Sentence&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Sentence&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0