Small Ceremonies

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. Agent: Ron Eckels, CookeMcDermid. (Apr.)