Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt

19 reviews

mmccombs's review against another edition

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!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Colonisation

meerigarum's review against another edition

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

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction and Police brutality

Minor: Domestic abuse

catapocalypse's review against another edition

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.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Domestic abuse

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I really liked this one. I read this while I was packing and moving so my memories are a bit fuzzy but I loved the commentary on academia and queer friendship. It was different in a good way.

It felt semi-autobiographical but I don't want to assume it is, just want the author to be free to write however and whatever he pleases because I'm always curious about and challenged by his writing. I recommend picking up some Billy-Ray Belcourt for mind and soul expansion.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Infidelity

caidyn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

Another queer Indigenous writer that just struck a chord. Billy-Ray's musings on Grindr and the search for belonging just hit me hard. It's a gorgeous book that went by so quickly.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Colonisation

Minor: Infidelity

lowbrowhighart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity

westfacingwindow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, Blood, and Alcohol

arsenic_'s review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Colonisation

laurareads87's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

“Rather than change the world, a novel could index a longing for something else, for a different arrangement of bodies, feelings, and environments in which human flourishing wasn’t inhibited for the marginalized, which seemed as urgent an act of rebellion as any.” 

One of my most anticipated releases of 2022. Billy Ray Belcourt’s skill as a poet shines in his novel A Minor Chorus as I knew it would — this book is stunning. Following an unnamed queer Cree narrator who pauses his PhD dissertation work to travel to the rez where he grew up to conduct research for a novel, A Minor Chorus is deeply affecting book that turns a critical and self-reflexive eye to the novel, as a form, and its possibilities. Through a series of encounters with family members, friends, lovers, and strangers, the narrator offers an account which is simultaneously literary, philosophical, and deeply political. Incredible. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an ARC in exchange for this review. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Minor: Terminal illness