10/08/2021
Looking for a great Canadian đšđŠ read this Thanksgiving Weekend đŠ? Why not pick up The Break byMĂ©tis writer Katherena Vermette and plan to join us at our virtual book club on October 26th.
Vermette is a rising star of Canadian literature. In her poetry, prose and film, she explores some of the most vital issues facing Canada today: the search for identity and the ongoing effects of historical and institutional prejudice.
Synopsis:
When Stella, a young MĂ©tis mother, looks out her window one evening and spots someone in trouble on the Break--a barren field on an isolated strip of land outside her house--she calls the police to alert them to a possible crime.
In a series of shifting narratives, people who are connected, both directly and indirectly, with the victim--police, family, and friends--tell their personal stories leading up to that fateful night. Lou, a social worker, grapples with the departure of her live-in boyfriend. Cheryl, an artist, mourns the premature death of her sister Rain. Paulina, a single mother, struggles to trust her new partner. Phoenix, a homeless teenager, is released from a youth detention centre. Officer Scott, a MĂ©tis policeman, feels caught between two worlds as he patrols the city. Through their various perspectives a larger, more comprehensive story about lives of the residents in Winnipeg's North End is exposed.
A powerful intergenerational family saga, The Break showcases Vermette's abundant writing talent and positions her as an exciting new voice in literary fiction.
