The Sentence

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LH: T he Sentence takes on a lot of serious topics—being in prison; the pandemic; the George Floyd murder, which took place in Minneapolis; the injustices Native Americans suffer. But it’s also a ghost story with a lot of dark humor. Tookie is released from prison after years of incarceration for naively recovering the corpse of her friend’s husband. Except the body carried something valuable to some but illegal – which was cocaine. Not able to provide any meaningful defence Tookie is imprisoned where she ignites her passion for books and literature. After many unsuccessful appeals, Tookie is finally freed, marries Pollux, and sets up a bookshop. However, the bookshop is haunted by the ghostly presence of one of its former customers, Flora who is looking for help and understanding which is to be found in a ‘sentence’. World Fantasy Convention (2010). "Award Winners and Nominees". Archived from the original on December 1, 2010 . Retrieved February 4, 2011.

LE: That just landed in my consciousness. I wrote it down and then thought, Oh, I have to think about this. Why am I writing this? And Tookie’s character emerged.Dartmouth Alumna Louise Erdrich '76 Wins National Book Award | Dartmouth Now". Now.dartmouth.edu. November 15, 2012. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014 . Retrieved October 23, 2013.

When I found out about the prize I was living on a farm in New Hampshire near the college I'd attended," Erdrich told an interviewer. "I was nearly broke and driving a car with bald tires. My mother knitted my sweaters, and all else I bought at thrift stores ... The recognition dazzled me. Later, I became friends with Studs Terkel and Kay Boyle, the judges, toward whom I carry a lifelong gratitude. This prize made an immense difference in my life." [27]Berresford Prize for significant contributions to the advancement and care of artists in society [68]