Small Ceremonies
A Novel
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
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
WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD
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 desperate 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In Small Ceremonies, author Kyle Edwards paints a deeply felt portrait of a group of Indigenous teens in Winnipeg’s North End, where hockey is a lifeline and adolescence is already a full-contact sport. At the heart of the novel is Tommy Shields, a shy, image-conscious kid trying to keep his head up through a tough hockey season and an even tougher home life. Around him orbits a chorus of richly drawn teammates, elders, teachers, and family members, each navigating their own quiet battles with identity, poverty, grief, and expectations. Edwards writes with warmth and precision, capturing the push and pull between independence and belonging, heritage and reinvention. His multivoiced narrative cuts through stereotype and sentimentality, illuminating the humor, heartbreak, and everyday resilience of a community under pressure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edwards's spirited debut follows a group of Native hockey players in Winnipeg over the course of what might be their high school program's last season. Tomahawk "Tommy" Shields bets his friend and teammate Clinton Whiteway that he'll make it through the whole season without getting knocked down by an opponent. The goal is important to Tommy, who's struggled with self-confidence ever since his mother was institutionalized for schizophrenia, and he went to live with his grandmother. Clinton, an avid reader with obsessive-compulsive disorder, sees his life upended when his older brother, Kelvin, gets out of prison and tries to recruit him to his crew of drug dealers, prompting Clinton to move into a youth shelter for his own protection. The propulsive narrative toggles between several other characters' perspectives, among them a journalist investigating accusations of racism behind the league's decision to axe the school's team and a mixed-race star player whose lineage is called into question by opposing players during a tournament. Edwards excels at describing how the Native characters face challenges both personal and structural as the novel barrels toward the season's tragic final match. This will stay with readers.
