Imagine walking into your favorite bookstore… and finding out it’s haunted. Not by just any ghost — but by a customer who refuses to leave.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich is one of the most unusual novels you’ll read this year. It’s funny, sad, moving — and incredibly human.
The story takes place in a Minneapolis bookstore during the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. The main character, Tookie, is a Native American woman trying to rebuild her life after prison. She works at the store — and suddenly finds herself being haunted by the ghost of a former customer.
But this is not just a ghost story. It’s a book about grief, guilt, and forgiveness. It’s about the power of books to comfort us when the world feels broken.
Louise Erdrich (yes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author) even writes herself into the story in a clever, self-aware way. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll underline passages that feel written just for you.
One of my favorite quotes: “Books contain everything worth knowing except what ultimately matters.”
Why You Should Read This:
- It’s a love letter to bookstores and booksellers.
- It perfectly captures the feeling of living through uncertain times.
- It blends humor, the supernatural, and deep emotional truths — in only 386 pages.
The Sentence will make you think about what it means to be alive — and what it means to let go.
If you’ve ever found comfort in a book… If you’ve ever wondered what a haunted bookstore might teach you about life… This one’s for you.
