Small Ceremonies - by Kyle Edwards (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A poignant coming-of-age story following the friendships, hopes, fears, and struggles of a group of Native high school students from Winnipeg's North End illuminating what it's like to grow up forgotten, urban, poor, and Indigenous. Word on the street is that this is the Tigers' last season. For Tomahawk "Tommy" Shields, an image-obsessed high school student from a northern Indian reserve, the potential loss of his hockey team serves as a stark reminder of the fact that he is completely uncertain about his future. He can't help but feel that each of his peers has some skill or gift that he lacks, yet each of their perceived virtues hides darker truths too. Clinton is beloved by teachers, but his "good kid" disposition is a desparate attempt not to end up falling prey to the gang violence his older brother has become enmeshed in. Floyd has incredible talent on the ice, yet behind that talent lies deep insecurity about his multiracial background. And the adults that populate Tommy's life-his mother who struggles with schizophrenia; Pete, the wayward Zamboni driver; and elders Maggie and Olga-offer a mixture of well-intentioned but often misguided support and a depressing portent of what the future could hold. Set in Winnipeg's north end, a remote neighborhood at the border of Canada's eastern woodlands and central prairies, Small Ceremonies follows a community that both literally and figuratively straddles two worlds. As its richly drawn characters navigate the thrilling independence of adulthood and the loss of innocence that accompanies adolescence, one can't help but root for Tommy and his community, even as Tommy himself reckons with his place in it"--

Book Synopsis

A poignant and heart-wrenching coming-of-age story that follows the friendships, hopes, fears, and struggles of a group of Native high school students from Winnipeg, Manitoba's North End, illuminating what it's like to grow up in the heart of an Indigenous city

Word on the street is that this is the Tigers' last season. For Tomahawk "Tommy" Shields, an Indigenous, image-obsessed high school student from Winnipeg, the potential loss of his team serves as a stark reminder of his uncertain future. He can't help but feel that each of his peers has some skill or gift that he lacks, yet each of their perceived virtues hides darker truths, too. Clinton is beloved by teachers, but his "good kid" disposition is a desparate attempt not to fall prey to the gang violence in which his older brother has become enmeshed. Floyd has incredible talent on the ice, yet behind that talent lies deep insecurity about his multiracial background. And the adults that populate Tommy's life--his mother, who struggles with schizophrenia; Pete, the team's wayward Zamboni driver; and elders Maggie and Olga--offer a mixture of well-intentioned but often misguided support and serve as a portent of what the future could hold.

Set in Winnipeg's North End, at the border of Canada's eastern woodlands and central prairies, Small Ceremonies follows a community both at the edge of the world and at the center of something much larger than itself. As its richly drawn characters navigate the thrilling independence of adulthood and the loss of innocence that accompanies adolescence, one can't help but root for Tommy and his community, even as Tommy wrestles with his place in it.

Review Quotes

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK Alta, The A.V. Club

"[A] pulsing, thoughtful novel. . . . Expansive as the prairie, it's a forceful, lingering read." --The Christian Science Monitor

"[As] the endearing characters are pulled in different directions with their conflicting ambitions and fears, Edwards's gripping, humane writing tells a new tale of coming-of-age in an Indigenous community."--Alta

"In Small Ceremonies, award-winning journalist Kyle Edwards introduces readers to a group of Indigenous high school hockey players [and] weaves these individual narratives into a larger tapestry of identity and community."--The A.V. Club

"An assured and poignant coming-of-age story. . . . [Edwards'] memorable novel grapples with both embracing and breaking free from a complicated heritage." --Booklist, starred review

"[A] spirited debut. . . . Propulsive. . . . Edwards excels at describing how the Native characters face challenges both personal and structural as the novel barrels toward [its conclusion]. This will stay with readers." --Publishers Weekly

"The geographical and familial landscape of the ironically named Whiteway clan yields a subtle and fascinating portrait of growing up Native in Manitoba. The understatement underscores the intensity and contradictions of outgrowing your home and self. This is a truly fine novel."
--Percival Everett, author of James and Erasure

"Heartfelt, funny, and stirring, Small Ceremonies is an astonishing debut. Luminous enough to thaw a Manitoba hockey rink, this supple, sparkling novel follows an extended Indigenous family attempting to navigate Winnipeg's difficult urban terrain. Resurrecting hope from a world of inequity and disruption, Kyle Edwards fills these pages with soulful revelation. The result is a profound meditation on longing: for what was, what might've been and what's still possible."
--Adam Johnson, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Orphan Master's Son

"In this compelling, multi-voiced first novel, Kyle Edwards carries us north to the landscape of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and into the geography of youth itself. This book--bracing, kaleidoscopic--made me relive those gritty, tender, fragile years before you are fully grown, when you still believe you can do both--stay rooted and fly free."
--Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia and Colored Television

"Such a chorus of compelling voices here! I would find myself growing attached to one character only to find the next equally engaging. Edwards is, at once, bracingly honest about and deeply tender towards everyone in this novel. A stunning debut."
--Aimee Bender, author of The Butterfly Lampshade

"Small Ceremonies dropped my jaw with the glittering precision of its detail, and the life-affirming humanity of its characters. Kyle Edwards knows this world of frozen hockey rinks and fishing shacks just as intimately as he knows the warm and broken hearts of this Winnipeg community that he writes about. I haven't been this excited about a debut in years."
--Michael Christie, author of Greenwood

About the Author

Kyle Edwards grew up on the Lake Manitoba First Nation and is a member of the Ebb and Flow First Nation. A graduate of Ryerson University, he has worked as a journalist for Native News Online, ProPublica, and Maclean's, and has held fellowships at Harvard and Stanford Universities. He has won two National Magazine Awards for his reporting and was named Emerging Indigenous Journalist by the Canadian Association of Journalists in 2019. He is currently a Provost Fellow at the University of Southern California.