Small Ceremonies

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