Review: The Break by Katherena Vermette

The Break by Katherena Vermette — House of Anansi — $22.95

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion of the book whatsoever.

Thematic spoilers ahead.

Timely, needed and overall a brilliantly written debut novel, The Break by Katherena Vermette is a masterful portrait of a family tragedy that unravels painful memories of the past.

The story follows several girls and women in Winnipeg's North End, each interconnected in some way and brought together again after a horrible crime takes place. A major thread holding each story together is the pervasiveness of sexual violence, how it is a strong force that pushes Indigenous girls and women into a lifelong cycle of silence, trauma and shame.

Vermette alludes to this silence and how it permeates the everyday lives of Indigenous women—from the dust covering Kookom's home to the black bandana hanging out of a young son's back pocket. Throughout reading the novel, I caught myself repeatedly thinking: "There are so many painful things in our lives that we silently agree to acknowledge among each other but never say aloud." That not only includes sexual violence, but also the small doses of shame women collect, bury and attempt to conceal throughout their lives—until the trauma builds up and becomes too unbearable to ignore.

The piece of land nicknamed the Break becomes its own character, representative of the vast ground society has yet to cover in combating violence against women. The giant "robots" (electric towers) stand tall, peering down, always watching. A constant reminder. It's there and it is seen, but we continue to pretend that we don't.

In return, Vermette shows what happens when women show up for each other when they are ready to address their pain. The love and empathy expressed by these characters, especially Kookom, who has lived through it all, glow like a ball of hope.

"These details, the story, what happened. They both know what happened well enough anyway. It's the big dark thing in the room, always there. They don't have to see it to know it, to know they don't want to look at it."
— The Break by Katherena Vermette, page 191