The Sentence

novel by Erdrich

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Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The Sentence is a 2021 novel by Louise Erdrich. It is set in a Minneapolis bookstore that is haunted by the ghost of a recently deceased customer. The story incorporates real-life events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd. The novel features a formerly incarcerated Native woman as its protagonist. Erdrich is known for her immersive storytelling, often focusing on the Ojibwe people of the northern Midwest. Her works frequently explore themes of Native identity, cultural contact with white society, and the resilience of tradition and family.12

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Louise Erdrich
Novels
That same year Erdrich published The Sentence, a novel about a formerly incarcerated Native woman who works in a Minneapolis bookstore that is haunted by the ghost of a recently deceased customer. Erdrich incorporated real-life events into the work, notably the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, an…
Read More
That same year Erdrich published The Sentence, a novel about a formerly incarcerated Native woman who works in a Minneapolis bookstore that is haunted by the ghost of a recently deceased customer. Erdrich incorporated real-life events into the work, notably the COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, an…
Read More