num_pages: 350
description: 2016 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize finalistWhen Stella a young Mtis mother looks out her window one evening and spots someone in trouble on the Break  a barren field on an isolated strip of land outside her house  she calls the police to alert them to a possible crime.In a series of shifting narratives people who are connected both directly and indirectly with the victim  police family and friends  tell their personal stories leading up to that fateful night. Lou a social worker grapples with the departure of her live-in boyfriend. Cheryl an artist mourns the premature death of her sister Rain. Paulina a single mother struggles to trust her new partner. Phoenix a homeless teenager is released from a youth detention centre. Officer Scott a Mtis policeman feels caught between two worlds as he patrols the city. Through their various perspectives a larger more comprehensive story about lives of the residents in Winnipegs North End is exposed.A powerful intergenerational family saga The Break showcases Vermettes abundant writing talent and positions her as an exciting new voice in Canadian literature.
language: English
title: The Break
publisher: House of Anansi Press