The Sentence has a modest amount of plot, but the pleasures of the book have little to do with the story. The narrator works at an independent bookstore in Minneapolis that is owned and staffed by Indigenous women––just like the real-life Birchbark Books owned by the author. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the staff and the descriptions of everyday customer interactions (including book recommendations!).
On All Saints Day 2019, they learn that their most annoying customer has died but she continues to haunt the store. A few months later, COVID-19 strikes followed by the killing of George Floyd. The characters react to these events in ways that are subtly but unmistakably Indigenous. It's those shadings that give the story its meaning and interest.
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