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A review by b0hemian_graham
The Break by Katherena Vermette
5.0
I finished this novel a couple hours ago, and I'm still reeling from what I read. It's a novel that should be read, no matter how painful one finds it. That is, once you begin, do not stop reading. Trust me, it's a very brutal and painful novel to read, and I was fighting back tears through most of it. This novel may upset many readers, so be forewarned before you undertake reading this novel
In many ways, The Break reminded me of the horrific story of Helen Betty Osborne, a First Nations woman who was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered by four white men in the 1970s. While this novel is more current, and the assailants were not four white men, the similarities were still there. The brutality of the assault, the number of assailants, the assault happened late at night in a remotish area in the middle of winter, and the callous attitude of the RCMP reminded me all too much of Osborne's case, along with all of the other MMIWG.
I liked how everything was interconnected, with all the characters being connected to each other in someway. I felt that it wasn't contrite and gimmicky. It did not feel cliched to have the Stella witness the brutal rape of her cousin at the hands of the child of her former best friend. In many ways, it shows how most First Nations women cannot escape violence, and are often drawn back into it, no matter how hard they try. Phoenix herself was the product of her mother's rape (which was also witnessed by Stella), and due to the trauma it caused, her mother Elsie suffered from severe drug addiction and mental health issues. Phoenix was equally a victim in many ways.
I did, however, disagree with Rita and the other characters who seemed to take issue with Stella "not doing anything" when the assault happened. She was a young woman alone, with two very small children. Knowing what we know about Phoenix and her gang, she very well could have been harmed. She did the best she could in the circumstances, and was unaware that it was even her cousin. She's already living with enough guilt from it, plus the latent guilt from witnessing Elsie's rape (and again standing there from shock and not really reacting) is definitely coming to the forefront. It's especially ironic given who Emily's attacker was the result of the previous rape. Stella's own mother also died at a young age under similar circumstances.
This novel is highly relevant to the current Canadian political scene, and although it's fiction, it reads too much like legitimate news. It also shows that we still haven't changed much since 1971, when Helen Betty Osborne was murdered, and we still have a long way to go. Highly recommended.
In many ways, The Break reminded me of the horrific story of Helen Betty Osborne, a First Nations woman who was sexually assaulted and brutally murdered by four white men in the 1970s. While this novel is more current, and the assailants were not four white men, the similarities were still there. The brutality of the assault, the number of assailants, the assault happened late at night in a remotish area in the middle of winter, and the callous attitude of the RCMP reminded me all too much of Osborne's case, along with all of the other MMIWG.
I liked how everything was interconnected, with all the characters being connected to each other in someway. I felt that it wasn't contrite and gimmicky. It did not feel cliched to have the Stella witness the brutal rape of her cousin at the hands of the child of her former best friend. In many ways, it shows how most First Nations women cannot escape violence, and are often drawn back into it, no matter how hard they try. Phoenix herself was the product of her mother's rape (which was also witnessed by Stella), and due to the trauma it caused, her mother Elsie suffered from severe drug addiction and mental health issues. Phoenix was equally a victim in many ways.
I did, however, disagree with Rita and the other characters who seemed to take issue with Stella "not doing anything" when the assault happened. She was a young woman alone, with two very small children. Knowing what we know about Phoenix and her gang, she very well could have been harmed. She did the best she could in the circumstances, and was unaware that it was even her cousin. She's already living with enough guilt from it, plus the latent guilt from witnessing Elsie's rape (and again standing there from shock and not really reacting) is definitely coming to the forefront. It's especially ironic given who Emily's attacker was the result of the previous rape. Stella's own mother also died at a young age under similar circumstances.
This novel is highly relevant to the current Canadian political scene, and although it's fiction, it reads too much like legitimate news. It also shows that we still haven't changed much since 1971, when Helen Betty Osborne was murdered, and we still have a long way to go. Highly recommended.