The year certainly got off to a great start with reading The Break. I can easily say this will be one of my favourite books of 2017, even though January is not yet over! The Break is the story of a close community of Métis women in Winnipeg and their encounters with violence. The story alternates from the perspectives of various women all connected through family and friendship ties. When a terrible incident of violence happens to one of them, they draw together even closer.
We also get the point of view of the perpetrator, but what’s so unique is the sympathy I felt for the one who did the violence. Rather than look at the good vs the bad guys, this is another book that looks at the history that leads people to violence as well as the brokenness that happens when we reject our family and community. The message seems to be that we are stronger together with our family and community around us.
The Break by Katherena Vermette, published by Anansi in 2016.