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The Red Word by Sarah Henstra — book cover

The Red Word

by Sarah Henstra

Governor General's Literary Award for English-Language Fiction · 2018 · Winner
Grove Atlanticliterary-fictionISBN 9780802128706

Award History

About This Book

A campus novel about rape culture, feminist activism, and the war between a fraternity and a women's studies collective in the early 1990s.

About the Author

Sarah Henstra is a Canadian author and academic who won the Governor General's Literary Award for English-language fiction in 2018 for The Red Word, her debut novel for adults. Set on a university campus during the early 1990s, The Red Word is a deeply researched and morally complex novel about rape culture, feminist activism, and the dangerous alliances formed in the war between a fraternity and a women's studies collective. The Red Word was widely praised for its unflinching treatment of sexual violence, its intellectual rigour, and its ability to inhabit multiple perspectives without simplifying the ethical questions it raises. Read more →

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