Description

Capturing the chaos and wonder of a precarious childhood, Cody Caetano delivers a fever dream coming-of-age garnished with gaming, a doomed house in Happyland, and an electric slang all his own. Half-Bads in White Regalia is an unforgettable debut that unspools a tangled family history with warmth, humour, and deep generosity.

Publisher Review

'Memoirs are a difficult alchemy of testimony and confession, scene-making and character-building. They have to soften the hard things and show the way through at every turn-or at least they should-and that's what Cody Caetano does in Half-Bads in White Regalia. No one gets off easy, but everyone is drawn with unflinching love and respect. Nothing seems wholly remarkable, yet everything is turned to see its beauty. Poetry permeates this prose, poetry and this wholly unique voice and style that somehow made me laugh and cry often, and in the oddest places. Read it. You won't regret it. Telling you.' Katherena Vermette 'A brilliant and devastating debut. This book hurtles towards difficult understandings about love and violence and family. At times I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry, but Caetano fills each moment with such character and humanity that it's impossible not to fall in love.' Jordan Abel 'It's rare to meet a narrator who, from the very first page, is so clear in voice and personality. Half-Bads in White Regalia charts a remarkable life, filled with a constellation of kin-characters, but it's really the outstandingly crafted speaker who makes this book a standout. At times soft and confessional, at times practically hardboiled, Caetano shows us his world but dares us to live up to the challenge of learning his life. Here is a book that sings the craft of memoir and life-telling.' Jenny Heijun Wills 'Cody Caetano spins a tale much like other Ojibway storytellers. Rich in metaphor, plot, and some very serious comedy, he keeps the reader attending to the writing.' Lee Maracle 'Reading Half-Bads in White Regalia feels like one of those rare and transcendent friendships that form in an evening and last for a lifetime, which is to me the mark of an exquisite storyteller. Caetano's winsome, sparkler prose invites into a mind bearing witness to its own precocious development and wild inheritances. It is an absolute interstellar triumph of a debut and a worthy descendent of voices such as Maya Angelou and Mary Karr. I know I'll carry its boyhood wonder and tender resilience with me for many years to come.' Liz Howard 'Caetano's voice leaps off the page with a rhythmic, hip-hop style right from the first page. . . . It gives this memoir energy and descriptive heft.' Toronto Star 'This breathtaking memoir is not to be missed. Unlike anything we've ever read. . . . Caetano's words feels like a gift bestowed upon the reader-it's truly a standout, and an exceptional debut that will stay on the minds of those long after they turn the last page.' Daily Hive