This Spring I found THE SENTENCE in a LFL (little free library), and instantly grabbed it, but it’s been sitting on my shelf since then. I’ve been trying to slowly make an effort to read books I own and I had to concisely make myself grab this one. While the premise sounds captivating, at the time I felt it was too early to read a book that takes place in the early months of covid. Wow was I wrong in the best way. 

THE SENTENCE by Louise Erdrich is about dealing with emotions and what occurred during the early months of covid and the riots after the murder of George Floyd. It’s also about friendships, relationships, and the people we decide to give our love to. THE SENTENCE is a love note to honoring culture, our backgrounds, our ancestors. To being present but being open to things that you don’t expect. And to dealing with trauma and letting go of things that no longer are helping you live and love. 

This was my first introduction to Louise Erdrich but it most certainly won’t be the last. Erdrich has this wonderful ability to create deeply rich characters and stories without the page feeling overly wordy. I felt a connection to each character like I knew them and I had this book linked to my heart by the end. 

If you don’t pick up THE SENTENCE, try any of Erdrich’s other works. She’s got many to choose from, and is such a fantastic indigenous writer!