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The Strangers cover art

The Strangers

Written by: katherena vermette
Narrated by: Michaela Washburn
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Publisher's Summary

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE ATWOOD GIBSON WRITERS' TRUST PRIZE FOR FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022/2023 FIRST NATION COMMUNITIES READ AWARD, 2022 MANITOBA BOOK AWARDS’ CAROL SHIELDS WINNIPEG BOOK AWARD, MARGARET LAURENCE AWARD FOR FICTION, AND MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE
A GLOBE & MAIL BEST BOOK

From the bestselling author of The Break comes a staggering intergenerational saga that explores how connected we are, even when we’re no longer together—even when we’re forced apart.


Cedar has nearly forgotten what her family looks like. Phoenix has nearly forgotten what freedom feels like. And Elsie has nearly given up hope. Nearly.

After time spent in foster homes, Cedar goes to live with her estranged father. Although she grapples with the pain of being separated from her mother, Elsie, and sister, Phoenix, she’s hoping for a new chapter in her life, only to find herself once again in a strange house surrounded by strangers. From a youth detention centre, Phoenix gives birth to a baby she’ll never get to raise and tries to forgive herself for all the harm she’s caused (while wondering if she even should). Elsie, struggling with addiction and determined to turn her life around, is buoyed by the idea of being reunited with her daughters and strives to be someone they can depend on, unlike her own distant mother. These are the Strangers, each haunted in her own way. Between flickering moments of warmth and support, the women diverge and reconnect, fighting to survive in a fractured system that pretends to offer success but expects them to fail. Facing the distinct blade of racism from those they trusted most, they urge one another to move through the darkness, all the while wondering if they’ll ever emerge safely on the other side.

A breathtaking companion to her bestselling debut The Break, Vermette’s The Strangers brings readers into the dynamic world of the Stranger family, the strength of their bond, the shared pain in their past, and the light that beckons from the horizon. This is a searing exploration of race, class, inherited trauma, and matrilineal bonds that—despite everything—refuse to be broken.

©2021 Katherena Vermette (P)2021 Penguin Random House Canada

What the critics say

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE ATWOOD GIBSON WRITERS' TRUST PRIZE FOR FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 MANITOBA BOOK AWARDS’ CAROL SHIELDS WINNIPEG BOOK AWARD, MARGARET LAURENCE AWARD FOR FICTION, AND MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE
A GLOBE & MAIL BEST BOOK

One of:
Quill & Quire's "2021 Best of Fall guide"
CBC's "65 Canadian Works of Fiction to Watch Out for in Fall 2021"
Chatelaine's "5 New Books to Read This Fall"
Toronto Star's "35 Books you need to know about in fall 2021"
CBC's "The most exciting Canadian books coming out in Fall 2021"
Shedoesthecity's "Fall Releases That Should Be On Your Radar"
CBC's "33 Canadian books coming out in September we can't wait to read"
NOW Magazine’s “15 best new books to read this fall”
Elle’s “10 Books You’ll Want to Read This Fall”

“Reminiscent of the hard-scrabble tales of the Métis in the Road Allowance days, Vermette offers up a beautiful, raw testament to those living on the margins. Brilliantly weaving the lives of the Strangers into stories within stories within stories, Vermette’s confident, understated prose walks the reader through the unforgiving reality of the descendants of those who stood with Riel and Dumont, grasping for survival in a world committed to a long-established campaign of dispossession. Cathartic and disturbing, The Strangers offers vital insight into the colonial brutality that still haunts the lives of the Métis.” (2021 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Jury: Rebecca Fisseha, Michelle Good, and Steven Price)

“With its relevant subject matter and poignant prose, Vermette’s second novel is poised to be as triumphant as her first. [In The Strangers], the author crafts another strong, emotional portrait of Indigenous women.” (Canadian Living)

“A searing indictment of the pressures and travails placed on Indigenous women.” —Toronto Star

Featured Article: 19 Award-Winning Canadian Fiction Audiobooks to Add to Your Listening List

Canada knows how to write a story, and it has the awards to prove it. These 19 incredible audiobooks are Canadian fiction at its award-winning best.

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Hard listen

A very hard listen.. told skillfully and with rawness that can be disturbing to the listener.

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Loved this book so much.

Highly recommending!! Also the narration is perfection. Thank you to he writer and all who contributed. This story meant so much to me. ❤️

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Simply genius

Katherena Vermette's words slip between your ribs and hold your heart in their hands. She is among the most compelling of Canadian authors of all time...Margaret Laurence, Timothy Findley, Guy Vanderhaeghe and Wayne Johnston. Her characters lead often brutal lives and she leaves no stone unturned, but they are also vivid and complete and full of love as well as rage. This book is part of a trilogy, beginning with The Circle, but this also works as a stand alone novel.

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Moving and Riveting

Katherena has written such a tragic but moving novel on the Métis women in Canada. As I grew up in Winnipeg and worked by the Sageeng and Métis towns in north eastern MB, I can visualize the places she describes.
I am also from a Mennonite background and can just see the Menno boy Jacob Penner and his reaction to Margaret's announcement of being pregnant. My heart was so moved by all of the Stranger women's stories from Margaret, Elsie, Phoenix and Cedar. I am so glad I listened to this book as the narrator was excellent. I believe I got more by listening than I would have by reading.

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Enjoyable listen!

Loved it! I was hooked immediately! The narration made this book even more enjoyable because it felt so real.

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Definitely recommend this book

The author skillfully weaves together the story of four powerful women, each in their own way. Subjects are tough but they’re real. This book doesn’t sugar coat our experiences as Indigenous women. The narration is one the best I’ve ever heard. Made the book come to life.

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Best performance I’ve heard to-date

Vermette’s first novel contained a massive sucker punch and I kind of expected the same in this book.

I never did learn exactly what Phoenix was supposed to have done that was so “evil” or what her motivation would have been to do the thing briefly alluded to, almost as a throwaway. But each character was fully realized as complete individuals with their own desires dreams, wishes, hopes, and flaws. A depiction of how intergenerational trauma plays out, although surprisingly, without reference to residential schools or the 60s scoop.

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Wow just wow.

Katherena is an amazing storyteller who seamlessly weaves lives and narratives together. I recommend reading/listening to her debut novel first as I prefer sequential reading, but it’s also not necessary at all. Both are amazing.

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Worth a listen.

Great narration and story. Thanks! I loved the interesting characters and could really empathize with several of them. Stories are medicine. Maarsii

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Another win

I loved this one. Although, “loved” seems like a pretty basic and inappropriate word to use. It’s an important yet horribly painful story that everyone should read, alone with The Break. I’m very much looking forward to The Circle!

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