Staff Pick
I can't wait to read Billy-Ray Belcourt's first novel, Minor Chorus, about a queer, indigenous scholar who goes back to his Northern Alberta reservation to write a novel and reconnect with his family and childhood friends. Belcourt has written poignantly of the queer, indigenous experience and the "Ministry of Historical Ignorance" in his prize-winning poetry collections, This Wound is a World and NDN Coping Mechanisms. There is so much wonderful indigenous literature coming out recently, and I am here for it. Recommended By Jennifer K., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In the stark expanse of Northern Alberta, a queer Indigenous doctoral student steps away from his dissertation to write a novel, informed by a series of poignant encounters: a heart-to-heart with fellow doctoral student River over the mounting pressure placed on marginalized scholars; a meeting with Michael, a closeted man from his hometown whose vulnerability and loneliness punctuate the realities of queer life on the fringe. Woven throughout these conversations are memories of Jack, a cousin caught in the cycle of police violence, drugs, and survival. Jack's life parallels the narrator's own; the possibilities of escape and imprisonment are left to chance with colonialism stacking the odds. A Minor Chorus introduces a dazzling new literary voice whose vision and fearlessness shine much-needed light on the realities of Indigenous survival.
Review
"A Minor Chorus is a rare gem of a book. We will be reading and rereading A Minor Chorus for decades to come." — Alicia Elliott, author of A Mind Spread Out on the Ground
Review
"No one breaks your heart as elegantly as Billy-Ray Belcourt. Innovative, intimate, and meticulous." — Eden Robinson, author of Son of a Trickster
Review
"An absolutely dazzling confluence of big ideas and raw emotions, told in Billy-Ray Belcourt's singular poetic voice. A Minor Chorus is about loving, questioning, and fighting for your life, and it's as compelling a debut novel as I've read in years." — Jami Attenberg, author of I Came All This Way to Meet You
About the Author
Billy-Ray Belcourt is a writer from the Driftpile Cree Nation. He is an assistant professor in the School of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia and the author of three books of poetry and nonfiction. He lives in Vancouver.