''The Break'' is the first novel by the Canadian author Katherena Vermette published in 2016 by

House of Anansi Press House of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. History Anans ...

. The book tells the story of Stella, a

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

woman, who witnesses a crime in "The Break", a barren stretch of hydro land near her house in the North End neighbourhood of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. The novel was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and Governor General's Award for English-language fiction."Governor-General’s Literary Award short list a serious case of déjà vu"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 4, 2016. and won the

Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature Burt is a given name and also a shortened form of other names, such as Burton and Herbert, or a place name. Burt may refer to: People *Burt Alvord (1866–after 1910), American Old West lawman and outlaw *Burt Bacharach (born 1928), American com ...

."Katherena Vermette wins CODE’s 2017 Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Young Adult Literature"
'' Quill & Quire'', November 24, 2017.

References

2016 Canadian novels Novels set in Winnipeg Winnipeg in fiction {{Canada-novel-stub