the sentence   BY louise erdich
Thursday, may 29, 6:30 PM

Haunting and darkly humorous, The Sentence explores the lingering ghosts of history, guilt, and identity in a Minneapolis bookstore.

After serving time for a crime gone wrong, Tookie finds solace in the stacks of a local independent bookstore—until the store becomes haunted by the ghost of a particularly persistent customer. As Tookie navigates the eerie presence, the upheaval of 2020 looms, forcing her to confront the weight of the past and the power of stories to heal, haunt, and transform.

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PAIRED WITH: Pride Red Blend by Camins 2 Dreams

Rich, layered, and deeply expressive, The Sentence and Camins 2 Dreams Pride Red Wine each tell a story of resilience, identity, and the unseen forces that shape us.  Like the novel, this blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah offers depth and complexity with red fruit and earthy spice.  Both the book and the wine celebrate the power of community, the importance of inclusion, and the voices that refuse to be forgotten.

Purchase by the glass during Book Club for $20

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“A bewitching novel…Strange, enchanting and funny: a work about motherhood, doom, regret and the magic—dark, benevolent and every shade in between—of words on paper.” — Molly Young, New York Times

'THE SENTENCE is a wonder...an utterly original, exhilarating novel...that burns with moral passion, brims with humor, and captivates with its striking and irresistible voice...A testament to the life-making importance of stories.' — Priscilla Gilman, Boston Globe

“Among Erdrich’s most magical novels…The Sentence is a ghost story that hovers between the realms of historical horror and cultural comedy…Moving at its own peculiar rhythm with a scope that feels somehow both cloistered and expansive, it captures a traumatic year in the history of a nation struggling to appreciate its own diversity.” — Ron Charles, Washington Post

“A deceptively big novel, various in its storytelling styles; ambitious in its immediacy…An absorbing and unquiet novel…that seems ‘essential’ for a deeper take on the times we are living through.” — Maureen Corrigan, NPR

“As timely as it is unexpected: a pandemic ghost story, The Sentence captures the quietly simmering fury of summer 2020…Tookie’s voice is genuine and humorous, her perspective rich with history and literacy.” — Entertainment Weekly

“The many-hued, finely patterned weave of Erdrich’s funny, evocative, painful, and redemptive ghost story includes strands of autobiography…Erdrich’s insights into what her city Minneapolis experienced in 2020 are piercing; all her characters are enthralling, and her dramatization of why books are essential to our well-being is resounding.” — Booklist (starred review)

“The Sentence testifies repeatedly to the power books possess to heal us and yes, to change our lives…There are books like this one, that while they may not resolve the mysteries of the human heart, go a long way toward shedding light on our predicaments. In the case of The Sentence, that’s plenty.”    — New York Times Book Review

'This novel, with its spiky yet warm main character and homage to the world of bookselling and reading, is an utterly delightful read that doesn't shy away from 2020's misery and uncertainty.' — Buzzfeed

'Dazzling...A hard-won love letter to readers and to booksellers, as well as a compelling story about how we cope with pain and fear, injustice and illness. One good way is to press a beloved book into another's hands. Read The Sentence and then do just that.' — USA Today (four stars)

'Erdrich's playful wit and casual style belie a seriousness of purpose, which in the case of this winning novel, entails tackling the pandemic, the death of George Floyd, the trials of doing time in prison and not least, the power of books to change lives.' — New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice

“The Sentence sings when it traces how current events inflect Tookie’s connection to Pollux…Erdrich’s gifts—an intensity of honesty, a summoning of feeling that exhausts itself, deliriously, in images—are on full display here. The images reverberate because the feelings are true.” — The New Yorker