The Break: British Book Awards Author of the Year 2022

Product Information

This was a Traveling Sisters group read that I had the pleasure of reading along with Lindsay, Susanne, Diane and Dem.

I almost put it down about 50 pages in as there were so many characters I was having a hard time keeping track. Winnipeg, North End: Als Stella in jener verschneiten Februarnacht aus dem Fenster schaut, scheint sie zu erstarren: Sie beobachtet die brutale Vergewaltigung und Misshandlung einer jungen Frau. A Heartbreaking novel about Manitoban women, families and friendship and what it means to have the support of those around you. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters as I found there were too many of them to keep track of.Most of the narrative voices are of the women—dead and alive—in this family, from Kookom Flora to great-granddaughter Emily.

One of the officers, Tommy Scott, like both the victim and the witness to the crime, is Metis (a person of mixed aboriginal and European ancestry). The officers have different opinions on the information they get from Stella - the older assuming it's just gang violence, and the younger sensing that something more vicious has taken place. When Stella knew everything she knew the details weren't even all that important – it was what it meant that mattered. On a positive note, while the subject matter is trying, many of the characters act as beacons of hope for a culture and crises that are often overlooked.Thank you to Edelweiss, Ingram Publisher Services and Katherena Vermette for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.