The Sentence
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The Sentence
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The Sentence
From Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich comes a richly layered novel that explores identity, exploitation, and how the burdens of history still shape our lives today.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF The Night Watchman
In this stunning and timely novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage, and of a woman's relentless errors.
Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Sentence, delves into the intricacies of life and death through the lens of a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis. The story spans from November 2019 to November 2020, a year marked by unprecedented events and deep reflection. When the store's most obstinate customer, Flora, dies on All Souls' Day, her spirit stubbornly refuses to leave the establishment. The protagonist, Tookie, who has found solace and purpose in her job selling books after a long stint of incarceration, is thrust into the mystery of Flora's haunting.
As Tookie navigates the spectral presence of Flora, she must also grapple with the turbulent events unfolding in Minneapolis, a city at the heart of nationwide upheaval. Her journey is both a ghost story and a profound exploration of what we owe to the living and the dead, to our communities, and to literature itself. With Erdrich's trademark wit and insight, The Sentence invites readers into a world where the past and present collide, and where books hold the keys to understanding amidst chaos.
The Sentence begins on All Souls' Day 2019 and concludes on All Souls' Day 2020, encompassing a year that is both haunted and haunting. The mystery and myriad ghost stories that proliferate during this period drive a narrative that is as rich, emotional, and profound as anything Louise Erdrich has written.
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'Erdrich is one of the greatest living American writers' Guardian
'Strange, enchanting and funny: a work about motherhood, doom, regret and the magic - dark, benevolent and every shade in between - of words on paper' New York Times
'The poet laureate of the contemporary Native American experience' Mail on Sunday
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich is lauded for its compassionate yet sharp-sighted prose, dealing with themes of ghosts and America's dark history. Reviewers highlight its profound insights into the global pandemic and systemic racism, calling it one of Erdrich's most illuminating works. It is praised for being both a gripping ghost story and a love letter to books, capturing a year of personal and national dread with an ultimately hopeful resolution. The novel is described as strange, enchanting, and a thought-provoking work of art that brings solace through literature.
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781472157010
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 January 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Corsair
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 34.0mm
Width: 126.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 317g
Pages: 400
Collections
About the Author
Louise Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, is the author of many novels as well as volumes of poetry, children's books and a memoir of early motherhood. Her novel The Round House won the National Book Award for Fiction. Love Medicine and LaRose received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and The Night Watchman won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. The Sentence was shortlisted for The Women's Prize for Fiction 2022. Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore. A ghost lives in her creaky old house.
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