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Home Waltz
In 1973, fifteen-year old Qʷ?qʷ?sk?i?, or "Squito" Bob, is a mixed-blood N?e?kepmx boy trying to find his place in a small, mostly Native town. His closest friends are three n?e?kepmx boys and a white kid, an obnoxious runt who thinks himself superior to his friends. Accepted as neither Native nor white, Squito often feels like the stray dog of the group and envisions a short, disastrous life for himself. Home Waltz follows the boys over thirty-six hours on what should be one of the best weekends of their lives. With a senior girls volleyball tournament in town, Squito's favourite band performing, and enough alcohol for ten people, the boys dream of girls, dancing and possibly romance. A story of love, heartbreak and tragedy, Home Waltz delves into suicide, alcohol abuse, body image insecurities, and systemic racism. A coming of age story like no other, Home Waltz speaks to the indigenous experience of growing up in a world that doesn't want or trust you.
- GenresIndigenousFictionCanada
304 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 14, 2021
I was so excited to read this book club pick. This book was short listed for the 2021 Governor General Award for literary fiction, it was by a local Canadian author and I loved the cover! …. And the author is coming to our book club to discuss the book! I had reason to be excited! So, I really wanted to love this book, but alas, I have mixed emotions about it. Oh I liked it but I didn’t love it. I’m giving it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
The premise was alluring but it took me time to warm up to the story and the writing.
This is the story of five 15 year old friends on an eventful weekend in 1973 a small mostly Native community in western Canada.
Interestingly, I happened to be a 15 year old Canadian in 1973, so while some of the references hit close to home (like the musical references), particular references to anything indigenous certainly would have been foreign to me at that time (and many even still). Despite that, I found this story initially hard to get into. There was much dialogue that didn’t always identify who was speaking. The characters were often referenced by nicknames but the adults mostly called them by their proper names, which compounded the confusion until I was able to sort that all out in my head.
Much of the dialogue and antics of the boys was nonsensical 15 year old boy banter and was meaningless. Maybe that was the point . Nonetheless, the story eventually captured my interest in wanting to know how the weekend would turn out.
The author does a wonderful job of taking uneventful happenings and turning them into an interesting story. (Refer back to the meaningless bantering). Of course, at 15 years of age often events normally mundane to a older adult are the entire focus of your teenage being! The author relays those moments in a most vivd and vibrant manner. Also, he often adds indigenous words or sayings into the story which provides great context to the mindset of these teens.
The story captures themes of friendship, belonging, boundaries, respect, betrayal, forgiveness. It covers plenty of ground in the short two days, and provides perspectives from not only the teenagers, but also from their parents, grandparents, other adult relatives, neighbours, teachers, police, friends, and foes, both inside their community and from outside the community.
There is also a stream of mystery to the story and the twists in the plot add to the intrigue. Yet there was something that kept me from being totally consumed in the plot.
The story seemed to grow on me, at least to a point were I enjoyed it sufficiently to give it 3.5 stars which I’ll gladly round up to 4 (since my interest rose from beginning to the end).
This is very much a character driven story and that certainly appealed to me.
This was an interesting read and would make for lively discussion material in a focused setting.
Now I can’t wait to meet the author!
The premise was alluring but it took me time to warm up to the story and the writing.
This is the story of five 15 year old friends on an eventful weekend in 1973 a small mostly Native community in western Canada.
Interestingly, I happened to be a 15 year old Canadian in 1973, so while some of the references hit close to home (like the musical references), particular references to anything indigenous certainly would have been foreign to me at that time (and many even still). Despite that, I found this story initially hard to get into. There was much dialogue that didn’t always identify who was speaking. The characters were often referenced by nicknames but the adults mostly called them by their proper names, which compounded the confusion until I was able to sort that all out in my head.
Much of the dialogue and antics of the boys was nonsensical 15 year old boy banter and was meaningless. Maybe that was the point . Nonetheless, the story eventually captured my interest in wanting to know how the weekend would turn out.
The author does a wonderful job of taking uneventful happenings and turning them into an interesting story. (Refer back to the meaningless bantering). Of course, at 15 years of age often events normally mundane to a older adult are the entire focus of your teenage being! The author relays those moments in a most vivd and vibrant manner. Also, he often adds indigenous words or sayings into the story which provides great context to the mindset of these teens.
The story captures themes of friendship, belonging, boundaries, respect, betrayal, forgiveness. It covers plenty of ground in the short two days, and provides perspectives from not only the teenagers, but also from their parents, grandparents, other adult relatives, neighbours, teachers, police, friends, and foes, both inside their community and from outside the community.
There is also a stream of mystery to the story and the twists in the plot add to the intrigue. Yet there was something that kept me from being totally consumed in the plot.
The story seemed to grow on me, at least to a point were I enjoyed it sufficiently to give it 3.5 stars which I’ll gladly round up to 4 (since my interest rose from beginning to the end).
This is very much a character driven story and that certainly appealed to me.
This was an interesting read and would make for lively discussion material in a focused setting.
Now I can’t wait to meet the author!
January 16, 2022
YESSSS. YESSSS. What I loved most about this book is that Grisenthwaite wasn’t pandering to the reader. He wasn’t writing this book with me in mind. Sometimes authors try to over-explain/simplify things for readers who aren’t part of their culture, in order to make it easier for “outsiders” to digest. And this book didn’t do that. It’s refreshing that he didn’t feel the need to do that. He wrote the book he wanted to write. Refreshing. Loved this.
Did Not Finish
January 22, 2022Great writing, and an important and interesting story. But 30 pages was all I needed to realize it definitely wasn’t a book for me. I cannot stand being trapped in high school characters’ minds, certainly not for the entire length of a 300-page novel. That is the only reason I am bailing.
December 6, 2021
This book came to my attention because the author is local and was up for the Governor General’s Literary award. When my neighbour and friend, who happened to be the person who did the cover and book design, asked if I would be interested in having her friend, the author, come to my bookclub, I quickly ordered the book to read.
I read this book quickly, compared to how long it has taken me to finish a book lately. From the first sentence, the writing style intrigued me and kept my interest. When I stop to think if I have ever read a book quite like this, what comes to mind is The Help, or Book of Negroes. All of these books share with the reader their first-person perspective on the climate of the day and the impact racism has on their lives and constant threat against them from those in authority, particularly white people. In this case , however, add to it the culture of addiction, a demonstrated lack of respect for women and oversexed teenagers, and you have a story that is engaging, yet difficult. There were many cringe-worthy aspects of this story, and if it even remotely resembles reality about life on “the res”, much needs to be done. It did also bring to mind an experience I had when visiting a somewhat local “res” to help out a conservation-minded group that left me shaken. I was stopped in a parking lot and targeted by a seeming local, blocking me in, videotaped, and intimidated.
This is one that, had I read the back cover, I likely would have passed this one up, but, as is often the case, being pushed out of my comfort zone opened my eyes to how different life can be just for being born into a different culture. I am excited to meet the author this week and learn about the inspiration for this story and what he hopes his readers take away from it.
I read this book quickly, compared to how long it has taken me to finish a book lately. From the first sentence, the writing style intrigued me and kept my interest. When I stop to think if I have ever read a book quite like this, what comes to mind is The Help, or Book of Negroes. All of these books share with the reader their first-person perspective on the climate of the day and the impact racism has on their lives and constant threat against them from those in authority, particularly white people. In this case , however, add to it the culture of addiction, a demonstrated lack of respect for women and oversexed teenagers, and you have a story that is engaging, yet difficult. There were many cringe-worthy aspects of this story, and if it even remotely resembles reality about life on “the res”, much needs to be done. It did also bring to mind an experience I had when visiting a somewhat local “res” to help out a conservation-minded group that left me shaken. I was stopped in a parking lot and targeted by a seeming local, blocking me in, videotaped, and intimidated.
This is one that, had I read the back cover, I likely would have passed this one up, but, as is often the case, being pushed out of my comfort zone opened my eyes to how different life can be just for being born into a different culture. I am excited to meet the author this week and learn about the inspiration for this story and what he hopes his readers take away from it.
December 13, 2021
This book was chosen by our book club and the author will be attending our next meeting to discuss it with us.
The home waltz is the last slow dance of the evening when young men hope to find someone who will dance with them and then go home to end the evening having sex.
Grisenthwaite presents a very grim view of life on the reservation for teen boys offering very little hope for better life
This is book that should be read but is very hard to be enjoyed.
The home waltz is the last slow dance of the evening when young men hope to find someone who will dance with them and then go home to end the evening having sex.
Grisenthwaite presents a very grim view of life on the reservation for teen boys offering very little hope for better life
This is book that should be read but is very hard to be enjoyed.
February 27, 2022
4 stars / recommended: G.A. Grisenthwaite's Home Waltz has been compared, critically, to Catcher in the Rye. Beyond both being coming of age stories, I question that comparison insofar as Squito Bob and Holden Caulfield come from vastly different backgrounds and places of privilege. Squito is a mixed-blood 15 year old fighting (at times literally fighting) to find his identity and sense of purpose in a predominantly indigenous community in interior British Columbia over the course of a fateful weekend. Grisenthwaite has a master's command with creating dialogue—and interior monologue— that transports the reader into Squito's troubled mind. There is revelation to be had here, but it comes with ample lashings of alienation, betrayal, distrust and heartbreak. This is not a comfortable read, nor is it intended to be so, but it is a magnificent triumph of the writer's craft: we spend some time living in another's skin and in doing so we are gifted with perspective.
December 4, 2020
Home Waltz is one of those rare books that plunks you so deeply into the mind of the narrator that the boundary between you get blurry; one of those books that has you wondering what the characters are up to when you have to put the book down. One of those books that you try to read more slowly as you near the end, because you don't want this first read to be over.
Especially appealing is the narrator's, character. I've never been a 15-year-old boy, nor a person with Indigenous background, but felt enormous empathy for him. Some of his experiences and feelings seem universal, such as the desire to belong. Although I sometimes wanted to metaphorically shake him when his responses were - shall we say - "unhelpful" to himself, I still wanted to reach out to protect him and help him become the adult he has the potential to be. I just plain like him.
Another aspect of Home Waltz I appreciate is the nuance. The author avoids tropes, black-and-white portrayals. The only exception is one character we don't meet, but whose influence has damaged Squito deeply. I wonder how and if Squito deals with this character, in the world that I envision carrying on after the final page of the book.
Given the quality of both the story and the writing, this author is on my "read more" list. And given the changes in the role of Indigenous peoples that I see and hope to see, I'd recommend it as one of the stepping stones in understanding that we need.
#SmallTown&RuralFiction
#NativeAmericanLiterature
#DarkHumour
#ComingOfAgeFiction
Especially appealing is the narrator's, character. I've never been a 15-year-old boy, nor a person with Indigenous background, but felt enormous empathy for him. Some of his experiences and feelings seem universal, such as the desire to belong. Although I sometimes wanted to metaphorically shake him when his responses were - shall we say - "unhelpful" to himself, I still wanted to reach out to protect him and help him become the adult he has the potential to be. I just plain like him.
Another aspect of Home Waltz I appreciate is the nuance. The author avoids tropes, black-and-white portrayals. The only exception is one character we don't meet, but whose influence has damaged Squito deeply. I wonder how and if Squito deals with this character, in the world that I envision carrying on after the final page of the book.
Given the quality of both the story and the writing, this author is on my "read more" list. And given the changes in the role of Indigenous peoples that I see and hope to see, I'd recommend it as one of the stepping stones in understanding that we need.
#SmallTown&RuralFiction
#NativeAmericanLiterature
#DarkHumour
#ComingOfAgeFiction
Read
November 22, 2021I tried getting into this, but decided to put it down because, as good as the prose work was, and it was absolutely excellent. I just didn’t want to be in the head of a horny teenager anymore. It makes sense for the character and was beginning to see some themes, mostly regarding racism to indigenous people, but there wasn’t a plot hook I cared about. Them getting black out drunk and being absolute assholes to each other just holds no appeal, and I’ve yet to read something where a party led to anything kind of fiction I’d want to consume.
January 17, 2022
I've gone back and forth on the rating here, and decided on 3 stars: I like and admire this a great deal, but I don't necessary love it. The first 60ish pages I found extremely engaging, and the author paints a detailed & authentic world very alien to most Canadians. But I found much of the shenanigans with the girls and the party felt like it outstayed its welcome...stretching on for far too long. The slang & vernacular overload didn't help, but thankfully it doesn't reach Faulkner levels of impenetrability. I also found that, no matter how authentic the world created here, it's a world I found deeply depressing, uncomfortable, lewd & crude. The bleak ending is just the icing on this very sad, violent, racist world...and while there is no question as to how real it feels, I didn't want to spend any more time in this place. Beautifully written, but designed to suck out your soul and stomp on it.
December 23, 2022
A mesmerizing mix between “A Catcher in the Rye”, “The Perks of being a Wallflower”, and any work by 冯唐. But the pages are steeped in hopelessness. Youth of the indigenous people is marred with alcohol, police harassment, and the regular teenage struggles, albeit magnified hundred folds. Just like Squito cannot prevent the suicides of his two friends, I too feel deeply weakened by the hopelessness of the ending — even if we know how their teenage lives have unfolded, what could we have done to prevent these tragedies?
April 17, 2022
It was a tough book to get into, as other reviews say getting trapped in a horny teenager’s head is an uncomfortable place to be and not all together a place I wanted to be. However, the story grew on me, the characters developed and a different level of humanness came through and I found myself caring for and finding a lot more compassion than I expected. The ended felt a bit rushed, but the middle certainly captured me.
February 20, 2022
I LOVED this book. I loved the prose and the lilt of voice, loved the honesty, and loved the landscape. I was sincerely sorry when the story ended, and I count this as the best book I read in 2021.
I hope Mr. Grisenthwaite will have another treasure for us soon.
I hope Mr. Grisenthwaite will have another treasure for us soon.
July 26, 2023
I did not enjoy this novel, but it has 5 stars because it is supposed to be uncomfortable.
Raw, real, and extremely tough to read. This novel truly encapsulates what was likely the life of many Indigenous teens in the 70s.
TW of violence, trauma, police brutality, suicide.
Raw, real, and extremely tough to read. This novel truly encapsulates what was likely the life of many Indigenous teens in the 70s.
TW of violence, trauma, police brutality, suicide.
February 14, 2022
An exceptional novel about a few days in a teenage boy's life on Canadian First Nations land in the 1970s. Heartbreaking and brilliant.
March 7, 2026
Discomfort is likely the goal of this author’s novel making it difficult to read or enjoy. It’s a story that needs to be told but is hard to hear. Being in a 15 year old boy’s head is challenging and the dialogue with his friends was often non-sensical. This story takes place during an eventful weekend in 1973 on an Indigenous reserve in western Canada. The story reveals the challenges, and minimal future prospects ,of a young teenager who has experienced more than most boys his age. I chose it because it is written by an author local to my area. The story will stay with me for a long time.
March 16, 2025
Such an incredibly raw story
October 8, 2023
A novel I very much enjoyed! I loved feeling like I was there with Squito and his friends - I had high emotions reading this book. Working on a reserve I could understand and connect with the experiences of the boys.
Another favourite of mine for Indigenous literature!
Another favourite of mine for Indigenous literature!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews