THE SENTENCE

Louise Erdrich never disappoints in this engrossing, beautifully written novel. Her narration is breathy, poignant, often funny, and always engrossing. Tookie works at Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore in Minneapolis owned by Erdrich--who sometimes enters the novel as herself. Tookie is being haunted by the ghost of her most annoying customer, Flora, who won't leave the bookstore. With equal attention to the seen and the unseen, Erdrich delivers what feels like a nonfiction novel. She chronicles the dwindling awareness of Native language and identity, the ever-present specter of white supremacy, George Floyd's murder, and the Covid pandemic. The pages are filled with pain and awareness. With each character as real as Flora's ghost, listeners will find a masterful performance of a marvelous novel. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]