Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - 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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christina_r1978's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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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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danaaliyalevinson's review

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emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

An indigenous Cree gay man returns home to gather the stories of those he grew up with as part of an academic project. There’s a lot I loved about the book. The characters were well written. The prose was poetic. For me, it felt like a cross between Anna Hogeland’s “The Long Answer” and Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”. The latter is referenced in the text itself as well as in the acknowledgments. And sometimes I felt it was a little bit too close in form and structure. The other thing is that the main character is in academia, and in the beginning of the book, there’s a lot of dialogue that felt self-referential and intentional in its usage of in academia theoretical frameworks that aren’t necessarily accessible. It did feel like a choice, but sometimes I felt the moments where the book was getting into theory could’ve bridged the gap a bit more to make those passages more accessible for those who don’t have backgrounds in the theories being discussed.

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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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