The Sentence (2021 novel)

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The Sentence is a 2021 novel by American author Louise Erdrich.^[1]

Set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the story concerns Tookie, an Indigenous woman who is haunted by Flora, a former customer at the bookstore where Tookie works. The book reveals that Flora, a white social worker who fraudulently identifies as Indigenous, has become a ghost due to her immense shame over being descended from a woman who enslaved and tortured Indigenous women.

The action unfolds primarily within Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore that is a fictionalized version of the real Birchbark Books, which is currently owned by Louise Erdrich. Erdrich has several cameo appearances in the novel.

The novel spans one year, from All Souls' Day 2019 to All Souls' Day 2020, encompassing the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the subsequent protests and civil unrest.