Katherena Vermette

Set in Winnepeg’s North End neighborhood punctuated by a swath of land with hydroelectric towers that becomes the scene of a horrific crime and a symbolic artifact of the characters’ fractured lives, this debut novel for Métis poet Katherena Vermette follows the lives of a family whose members live with the consequences of their proximity to the violent gangs that roam their streets and prey on people, including thirteen-year-old Emily, who is viciously attacked. The community itself is largely indigenous, with many half-breeds, including one of the policemen investigating Emily’s attack. Racial bigotry forms the backdrop to the story. Flora, known as Kookom to her grandchildren (apparently it is the Cree word for grandmother), is the head of this four-generation family at the center of the novel.. Her daughter Cheryl is a functional alcoholic and her other daughter, Rain, was murdered when her daughter, Stella, was a child, such that Stella was raised by Kooko. Cheryl has two daughters, Louisa (Lou) and Paulina (Paul) who have children of their own. Emily is Paulina’s daughter. Men are not portrayed very kindly in this story; most of them abandon their responsibilities, and the women realize that they often get involved with unsuitable men. The story is told from the varied perspectives of the characters, who each bring pieces of the full story to the family’s complex history. Haunting.… (mehr)

This novel completes the trilogy, following The Break and The Strangers. It's a good story, dealing with the lingering after-effects of a violent action by one character on two young girls. We see how their families continue to have to deal with the consequences of the attack, set in the context of ongoing racism and colonization.

About five years have passed since Phoenix attacked Emily and Ziggy and Phoenix is being released from prison. Phoenix's younger sister, Cedar, has formed a strong friendship/romantic interest with Ziggy, who doesn't know they are related. Jake feels responsible for protecting his cousin, Emily, and other family members, worrying that they will see Phoenix in the neighbourhood.

This book, in particular, looks at the idea of justice and the bonds of family and friendships.… (mehr)

The Circle by Katherina Vermette is the third book in a trilogy after The Break and The Strangers but it can be read as a standalone. It provides both a powerful and poignant look at the long-term effects of colonization and cross generational trauma as well as how the actions of one person can spread like ripples, touching the lives of so many others within the circles.

Phoenix, a young Metis woman is being released from prison after serving time for horrendous assaults on other young girls. It begins as Phoenix’s sister, Cedar, learns of her release, a day she has both looked forward to with anticipation and dreaded because she loves her sister but Ziggy, her best friend and perhaps someday more, was one of Phoenix’s victims. The story is told through mostly short chapters with each chapter devoted to the POV of a single character, each more or less affected by Phoenix’s release until returning to Cedar and Ziggy closing the circle. The Circle is a beautifully written story, the kind that will stay with the reader long after finishing the last paragraph and I recommend it highly.

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review… (mehr)