by Billy-Ray Belcourt
W. W. Norton and Company
10/4/2022, paperback
SKU: 9781324021421
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.
Reviews:
"A truly exceptional novel about how the disregarded sometimes live the most remarkable lives. A Minor Chorus is like a song that's over too soon; I want to play it on repeat, to memorize the words so that I can sing them to myself." -- Katherena Vermette, author of The Strangers, contributor to This Place
"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, contributor to This Place
"An achingly gorgeous debut novel of Indigenous survival... This is a breathtaking and hypnotic achievement." -- Publishers Weekly
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, including A History of my Brief Body. He lives in Vancouver.