“Margaret used to think this was normal, that all families were made up of so many sad stories. But as she got older, it seemed only Indians, Mtis, who had sorrow built into their bones, who exchanged despair as ordinarily as recipes, who had devastation after devastation after dismissal after denial woven into their skin. As if sad stories were the only heirloom they had to pass on.”
Summary - Cedar has nearly forgotten what her family looks like. Phoenix has nearly forgotten how freedom feels. And Elsie has nearly given up hope. Nearly. These are the Strangers, each haunted in her own way. The Strangers is a searing exploration of race, class, inherited trauma, and matrilineal bonds thatdespite everythingrefuse to be broken.
The Strangers has everything I love in a book: an Intergenerational story, different characters narrate, female perspectives, and so much heart I could feel the pulse through the page. Just a heads up, parts are bleak but it is a beautifully told story of the Stranger women.
Katherena Vermette wrote The Break which was a #read book last year and was such a phenomenal book. The Strangers isn’t a typical sequel, it has a character (Phoenix) from The Break that isn’t explored very much. The Strangers happens after The Break and follows Phoenix and her mother, grandmother, and sister. It can be a standalone but reading The Break before would definitely add to your understanding of Phoenix.
Big thanks to Katie @ for gifting me this gem and for reading it with me.
Have you read The Break? This one has limited availability in the US since it was published and released first in Canada.
Find The Strangers at the publisher →
Toni Rocchetti is a copy editor helping authors strengthen their narratives, deepen character arcs, and find the story that is already in the draft. She reads 80+ books a year across literary fiction, memoir, and nonfiction — and writes about what she is learning along the way. Work with Toni →
