Circular Review: The Circle by Katherena Vermette

My wee review:

The Circle by Katherena Vermette is a return to well-loved characters that didn't quite hit the mark, but it is still worth reading as a Canadian/human to gain insight into the impact of intergenerational trauma and racism among Indigenous people.

Such a beautiful cover in front of such a beautiful plant

(credit)

I was SO looking forward to reading The Circle by Katherena Vermette. Having read the first two books in this quasi-trilogy, The Break and The Strangers, I was ready to return to the world of two Indigenous families (the Strangers and the Traverses) interwoven by violence and trauma, and the complex dynamics both within and between them. The two previous books portrayed such trauma and sadness, but also such strong love and resilience. I had particularly grown attached to the Stranger women- Elsie, the troubled addict mother; Phoenix, the angry daughter who commits a terrible act of violence as a teen; and her younger sister Cedar, trying to navigate a "normal" life within such a broken family.

What I loved:

The power of the previous two books, for me, was showing how dichotomies like "good" and "bad", "victim" and "perpetrator" are not so stark, particularly in the context of cultures that have endured generations of colonial oppression and violence. The Break expands upon this theme, and particularly shows how familial love challenges these dichotomies--the complex love for a family member despite the evils they have done, or the frustration and judgment for a troubled family member who you will, when push comes to shove, fight for.

I also appreciated what Vermette was trying to do with the structure of this book. In her previous works, the chapters move between multiple narrators, and this is continued in The Circle, to show how actions and emotions reverberate through the circles of people we build around ourselves.

What I loved less:

The problem for me with that narrative structure is that it just had too many voices. Vermette combined all the characters from the first two books, plus it felt like she added some others (I could be wrong on this...it's been a while since I've read the previous books). While the different perspectives were interesting, I couldn't keep track of who everyone was and their location in the web of people.

Vermette inserts this diagram to try to orient the reader to the

many voices heard in this book.

The biggest drawback of having so many narrative voices was that I didn't get as much time as I wanted with my most beloved characters, the Stranger women. Through reading The Strangers I developed such love and empathy for Phoenix, Cedar, and Elsie, but it felt like I only got to hear from each of them for about 20 pages in this book. I was left wanting more--more time with them, more details on their lives and their journey, and more discussion of their complex relationships.

As a result, this book didn't grab my heart and rip it out like the others did, particularly The Strangers. I enjoyed reading it but I didn't feel the same emotional pull that would leave me crying in sadness, and then crying with hope and joy, like the other two books.

Final thought:

Definitely pick this book up if you've read the other two by Vermette because it is still such an important story for all Canadians to read, and it offers a bit of closure. But, in the same way that many say The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the original Star Wars trilogy, I found The Circle to not be as strong as its predecessor, The Strangers. Now, THAT is a must-read.

Did I just compare The Strangers to The

Empire Strikes Back? Who am I??

(GIF credit: Wix/GIPHY)