The Break

Product Information

The Break refers to a piece of land between two rows of houses which is outside the home of Stella a young Métis mother who witnessed a violent act on the Break. The novel focuses heavily on the racism that Indigenous people face while also providing commentary on the plight of women in North America. These are the stories our mothers, sisters and friends have told us - the stories we absorb into our bloodstream until they might as well be our own . There is no way any review I give The Break will fully do it justice, and I am still feeling a little blindsided by the revelations of the last 50 pages, but suffice it to say that this is going to be THE BOOK to read this fall.

The Break by Katherena Vermette | Goodreads

The Break is a condemnation of reprehensible individual behaviour, but also of a broader society incapable of dealing effectively with problems of addiction, poverty, homelessness, and despair. While there are still signs of a scuffle in the snow by the time two officers arrive, they are dubious about the witness’s assertion that a woman has been raped: the broken beer bottle and the pool of blood point to a gang fight. The Break has won several awards including the Governor’s General Literary Award and Burt Award for First Nation, Inuit, and Métis Literature.Generational Rape is the villain, for the perpetrators are faceless and nameless, and usually men, until in the predictable denouement, we see this villain cross genders. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

The Break: British Book Awards Author of the Year 2022

A Heartbreaking novel about Manitoban women, families and friendship and what it means to have the support of those around you.Although the crime is the focus of the story—along with the people involved and the investigation itself—the book is certainly not all doom and gloom. It's a book that explores social issues without ever preaching, or even seeming to be about them at all. If you’re interested in submitting your book to be reviewed or included in a book recommendation TV segment, we’d love to hear from you with the details of the book! I was often in tears reading this book – not because it was mawkish or manipulative but because I connected to the humanity of the characters – and while I don't think it was quite expertly crafted, I admire what author Katherena Vermette has achieved and revealed here.

The Break by katherena vermette | CBC Books

It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. Those heart-wrenching stories that came out of her own memory, her own experience — those things made me very sad. On the flip side of the more painful scenes in the book, I found a lot of joy whenever the family was together. Die Polizei geht von einer Schlägerei unter Gang-Mitgliedern aus, eine Vergewaltigung sei bei diesem Wetter draußen doch gänzlich unwahrscheinlich. Singh attends to the revolutionary prospects of ‘an act of breaking through, a transgression, a disruption.All the stories Cass has heard about people tricked into stopping to help someone go through her head. While the violent characters in the novel are despicable, it is a testament to Vermette’s skill that they also appear pitiable. Cheryl, their mother, constantly reflects on her past of losing her sister, Rain (Stella’s mother), and tries to overcome an addiction to alcohol as she attempts to take care of her family. But despite myriad catastrophes, both personal and political, Singh finds reasons for hope in the possibility of community.