A Minor Chorus
Billy-Ray Belcourt
(Author)
Description
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.
Product Details
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Publish Date | October 04, 2022 |
| Pages | 176 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781324021421 |
| Dimensions | 8.3 X 5.5 X 0.4 inches | 0.3 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
With his first novel, wunderkind Belcourt cements what has become increasingly clear across two poetry collections and a memoiristic book of essays: he is a fearless writer... [A Minor Chorus is] a ruminative constellation of ideas regarding colonial trauma, heteropatriarchy, and the innate sociality of writing; Belcourt's boldest, freest, and most linguistically assured work yet.-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
An achingly gorgeous debut novel of Indigenous survival...This is a breathtaking and hypnotic achievement.-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
Following his essay collection, A History of My Brief Body, poet Belcourt, from the Driftpile Cree Nation, continues his exploration of Indigenous trauma and queerness in this erudite debut novel...Smart, thoughtful.--Kathy Sexton "Booklist"
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
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
No one breaks your heart as elegantly as Billy-Ray Belcourt. Innovative, intimate, and meticulous.--Eden Robinson, author of Son of a Trickster
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
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