In Sisters of the Midnight Sun, Rebecca Wright Stevens has crafted a compelling nonfiction story about the real-life double homicide of two sisters within the Alaskan Iñupiat community. Drawing on her experience as a public defender assigned to one murder suspect, the book is a portrait of a community affected by violence against Native women. The book weaves together personal moments in Stevens’ life with specifics of her work on the murder case.
Sisters of the Midnight Sun is both a gripping crime narrative and a self-portrait (Stevens declares herself an outsider.) Her descriptions are sharp and vivid throughout. And her depiction of setting is compelling, from courtroom scenes to the Alaskan landscape. The book’s title nods to how the sun can stay out for 24 hours in northern Alaskan summers. Stevens describes it as a “sun so bright it made your eyes wince until you could get behind blackout curtains and hide.” Stevens has written a book that is singular and unflinching.
We spoke via email with Stevens about the years she spent writing Sisters of the Midnight Sun, her inspirations, and the difficulty of placing a book that blends genres.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Continue reading “Rebecca Wright Stevens on true crime, violence against Indigenous women, and the nonstop daylight of Alaskan summers”