The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

Book Review by Ariel Jennings

It took me a very long time to read this novel because I knew it would challenge me in the most brutal of ways. Of course, it was all worth it. The Sentence by Louise Erdich tells the story of Tuki, a self-described “ugly” woman.  Recently out of jail, she lands a job working at a small Minneapolis bookstore (that very much resembles Erdrich’s bookstore, Birchbark Books) that soon becomes haunted by their most annoying customer. Flora, a well-meaning but infuriatingly annoying white woman who coopts Indigenous cultures, dies on All Saints Day and spends the next year haunting the bookstore. It’s up to Tuki to figure out this mystery while navigating a challenging year in her own life. 

The next year brings the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the ensuing demonstrations. Even though like most people I didn’t want to relive these traumatizing months that just happened a few years ago, this book consistently gave me hope. Bookstores did save lives during this time–and capitalism lost just a little bit. The women in this book didn’t turn away. For example, they return to the bookstore and pack books all day long to be sent out to readers in quarantine. They faced these many issues head on and told them off. I acknowledged my shame and their strength. I had to put down the print text, and I listened to the rest on audio surrounded by nature. Tuki breathed the words “Goodbye little gods” as I witnessed four butterflies on one bright purple flower and two fawns crossing the path in front of me. There’s some magic in this book for sure. 

What I loved most about this book is that it’s a love letter to books, readers, and the communities built around them, something the isolation of reading often makes us forget.  She amplifies hundreds of book titles and authors (and includes some excellent reading lists in the back of the book), a collection of “tiny perfect novels” and one of my most cherished novels, Cherie Dimaline’s Empire of Wild (another ugly woman battling monsters. The idea that reading is a solitary activity feels silly after reading this book. Erdrich reminds us through Tuki that reading builds a community that for better or worse supports the reader always. Sometimes just a sentence can save all of us: “The door is open. Go!”

Ariel Jennings is a lover a books, organic farming, cats, nature and growth. She’s currently finding her next adventure.