Reviews - The Strangers | The StoryGraph

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485 reviews for:

The Strangers

Katherena Vermette

4.22 AVERAGE

gracedowler's review against another edition

4.0

emotional medium-paced

pearamour's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

coocachoo's review against another edition

I’m not one to DNF any books, I always manage to make it through but this one I just couldn’t do. I’ll try again another time but not as an audiobook like I did originally.

ashleymcollier's review against another edition

2.5

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

skconaghan's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Another incredible work from Ms Vermette full of authentic voices from the streets next door whispering the pains of our neighbours. In response to one of our most concerning National crises in Canada, Vermette writes the stories of our forgotten indigenous women. She speaks with voices who are tired of crying out for too many generations, neglected and unwilling victims of a flawed system they never asked for, and Vermette tells harsh truth with grace and offers hope for the future generations of Métis, other indigenous, and the Canadian descendants of non-indigenous settlers.

I love how this woman says what must be heard. I’d put her work on the curriculum, and fast. Give her another award, but I’m sure what she’d rather is that the country would listen, listen… listen carefully and hear what has been done, and hear what needs doing, and offer support and mend relationships so that reconciliation can happen, so that change can begin where change needs to take place.

Note: in justification of authenticity, I believe the voice of Phoenix, a young, oppressed, defensive teenager, has to sound harsh and offensive, with exactly this kind of foul language and shocking base vocabulary. I encourage the sensitive reader to gain comprehension of the experience of someone like Phoenix in her own voice and not a watered-down version, to listen humbly despite personal preferences, setting aside sensitivities in order to listen, to hear what’s being said through the wall of words cast high to shield the person saying it, a person calling for help, longing to be seen, yet loathing every pang that makes her so transparently vulnerable. The language used is not without purpose. If we spend more time loving the marginalised youth of an oppressed nation we might get beyond the so-called offensive language to the genuinely offended heart …and then we might even touch a spirit with love.