The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I am still giving it four stars because of the writing, but I thought it would be a five-star book. I love books about literature, writing, book stores, books. I like how this story was set in a independent book store (that actually exists) - and certainly that it was set in Minnesota, which is where I live. (This is the second book I have read in the last month set in Minnesota.) This story was entertaining to a point, but I guess I didn't know where it was really leading. Obviously, I knew before I started the book that the book store was haunted for one year, and I assumed we would know why by the end of the book. 

But in addition to that storyline, the author reminds us how scary it was in March of 2020 when Covid took over our lives. It was interesting to me to read about all the things we did to protect ourselves from the virus (keeping newly purchased items outside, wiping everything down, etc.) As time passes, I forget all those little details. I know that Covid-19 and its seemingly unlimited variants, is still wreaking havoc today, but it's interesting to remember how the world initially shut down.

In addition to Covid, the author reminds us of the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It was a scary time in Minneapolis, with all of the riots and protests - all in the midst of Covid-19. I thought Erdrich captured these two significant events very well.

As far as the haunting of the book store by Flora, this was less interesting to me. I loved learning about Native American culture, their beliefs and rituals. And I loved the growth of Tookie in her relationships with her husband, daughter and grandchild. Tookie did not have an easy life and she made some really poor decisions. The arrival of her grandchild was life-changing for Tookie. It's the first time she truly knew what unconditional love was. This changed her relationship with her daughter and her husband, Pollux. Tookie was finally able to address what Pollux had done to her (arrested her), forgive him, and accept his love. Tookie's growth and the realistic portrayal of Tookie's struggles with relationships, is why I give this book four stars.

Wendy's Rating: ****