Small Ceremonies
A Novel
Kyle Edwards
- 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
- cityWord
- 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.
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