Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - A Minor Chorus

I haven’t been this emotionally moved by a book in some time. Belcourt writes with such lyricism and poignancy to explore what I felt were the most prevalent themes: identity and loneliness. Maybe that’s why this book moved me as much as it did, because I think a lot about these things myself, so I felt particularly seen by the author in the way he discusses these themes.

I feel that this book is neither plot- or character-driven. Instead, it’s very focused on asking you to sit with your feelings and… well… feel them. And I know this style of writing won’t work for everyone. I think another aspect that will be a major hit-or-miss is the numerous references that Belcourt makes to literary thinkers and theorists throughout his novel. Personally, I loved it. It brought so much of the protagonist’s way of thinking and being together in a complex and meaningful way.

I highlighted a lot of passages in this book, just because so much of the protagonist’s meditations left a lasting impression that, in some ways, hit close to home. I truly look forward to reading more of Belcourt’s works.

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kirkspockreads's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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serendipitysbooks's review

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A Minor Chorus is the story of a queer indigenous graduate student who steps away from academia and returns home to rural Alberta to interview friends and family for a novel he plans to write. The writing is lyrical, simple yet affecting, and there is plenty of intersectionality. The story of his cousin Jack highlights the heartbreaking and infuriating legacy of colonisation. I appreciated the insight into the difficulties indigenous people face within the academic environment. It covered a lot of ground in relatively little space yet it never felt dense.

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sammies_shelf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mmccombs's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Billy-Ray Belcourt’s words are a gift! His synthesis of history, poetry, literature, and storytelling is almost startling in how smart and impactful it is. Short and sweet, this is such a wonderful novel. Will keep reading his work!

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meerigarum's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

catapocalypse's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A short, artful read with so many big ideas and a lot of heart.

A queer Indigenous PhD candidate feels disconnected from his academic goals, and decides to venture home to rural Northern Alberta to write a novel. His new goal is to write in a voice as representative of his community as possible, and he spends time interviewing a number of friends, family, and others in the area.

The book examines so many different things, including the hardships inflicted on Indigenous folks by colonization and police violence, the struggles of growing up queer in rural communities, the search for love and intimacy, the purpose and uses of writing. There are so many things to mull over, I think it requires multiple read-throughs to even try to grasp it all.

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