Louise Erdrich by Sofia Savid ‘24
By Edith Tierney ’24
Staff Writer
“Books contain everything worth knowing except what ultimately matters,” Louise Erdrich writes in the early pages of “The Sentence,” boldly setting the tone of her new novel Published Nov. 9, 2021, “The Sentence” is packed tightly with the events of one fictional woman’s life between November 2019 and November 2020. Set in Minneapolis, the novel is profoundly current, deeply human and often raw. It follows an Ojibwe woman named Tookie as she lives through the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the death of George Floyd and the following protests — all while working in a haunted bookshop.
The story begins when Tookie attempts an unlawful favor for a friend and is sentenced to 60 years in prison. 10 years later, she is acquitted. She gets married and begins working at a small bookstore specializing in Indigenous literature, an obvious reference to Erdrich’s own book shop in Minneapolis, Birchbark Books & Native Arts. The first 30 pages provide dramatic insight into Tookie’s backstory, but they are not what the book is about. The narrative truly begins in November 2019, when, as Tookie narrates, “death took one of my most annoying customers. But she did not disappear.” Flora was an older white woman who died in her bed one night with no visible cause of death and an old manuscript left open beside her. Despite her death, Flora continues to browse the shelves of the store in her ghostly form.
Both Flora’s ghost and the book found beside her corpse haunt Tookie and interfere with what she sees as an otherwise idyllic life as a free woman. The presence of a ghost not only adds a supernatural element to the story, but is also used as a symbol of the novel’s more material hauntings: Tookie’s past and the historic and tragic events of 2020.
As Tookie reckons with her past, she must also contend with the bookstore’s haunting and a fear of not being believed. Over the course of the narrative, she also processes her rise to grandmotherhood and develops her relationships. These events slowly develop Tookie’s complex identity, vital to the beautiful and prominent presentation of humanity in the novel. Adding to the already tangible tension, the story continues into March 2020, following Tookie, her family and the bookstore as they navigate the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and in May, George Floyd’s murder in their city.
The section that covers the pandemic and the protests in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd is the most intense and poignant part of the book. While it is now common to write about the traumatic events of 2020, Erdrich avoids the potential pitfalls of overdramatization and overanalysis. She writes with honesty and clarity, not exaggerating but also not shying away from harsh realities. The narrative is deeply relatable as it follows Tookie’s mental health as she waves goodbye to the last in-person customer before the store closes, as she helps care for her step-grandchild and negotiates with a ghost while packing orders alone in the bookstore. It also follows her as she contemplates her relationship with her ex-cop husband and worries about her step-daughter attending protests.
Over the summer and fall, Tookie and her family and friends continue to contend with the virus and the protests and, of course, the incessant presence of the ghost. At every turn this novel proves itself to be a love letter to literature. Tookie and her friends often discuss what they are currently reading, relate to characters from various books and provide recommendations. There is even a six page list of Tookie’s recommendations at the end of the book. Books become a coping mechanism for these characters.
The year is a struggle for all of the characters as they grow to better understand each other and their situations, and mostly just try to make it through. “The Sentence” ticks a lot of boxes. It is written for bookworms and those looking for a ghost story, but it is also for anyone looking to reflect on the turmoil of 2020 in the United States or learn about the impacts of incarceration. The novel is an honest and clear representation of what it means to be human in the modern world.
“The Sentence” is available at Williston Memorial Library. It is currently shelved in the “Leisure Reading” section.