WINNER OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION
A GLOBE AND MAIL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"Small Ceremonies is an evocative portrayal of Indigenous urban existence framed around North End Winnipeg. In his fearless debut, Kyle Edwards gives us a gutting and luminous potrait of community and timeless interconnection, revealing the true meaning of Indigenous resiliency and elbows up. An encompassing story that feels both fresh and classic at the same time." —Governor General's Literary Award peer assessment committee

"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. . . . This will stay with readers." —Publishers Weekly

“[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

“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

“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

"Small Ceremonies flattens the grass for us all. A power play of wit, grit, and generational spirit, phenom Kyle Edwards has you rooting for the Tigers when few will. With its scars, scores, and hard-won triumphs, this polyphony of neechies carries us through overtime into glory. A dignified, accomplished, and suave figure-eight of a novel."
—Cody Caetano, author of Half-Bads in White Regalia

"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