Beaver Hills Forever: A Métis Poetic Novella

by Conor Kerr

An irreverent and playful novella of Métis voices that reflects the complexities of contemporary prairie life


Conor Kerr's 2024 novel Prairie Edge was a finalist for both the Giller Prize and the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust of Canada Fiction Prize. His latest book, Beaver Hills Forever, takes a riotous, uncompromising look at the intertwined lives of four characters, each an abstract expression of the few paths available to Métis people on the Prairies. In alternating poetic verses, Buddy, Baby Momma, Fancy University Boy, and Aunty Prof share their inner dreams, hardships, delusions of grandeur, and existential plights. While the messy day-to-day is created by their own doing, the lives of these four individuals are doubly compromised by Canada's colonial education system and resource extraction industries.


A beguiling and genre-bending work, Beaver Hills Forever offers a moving, necessary exploration of education, labour, and the dynamic, ever-changing bonds that bring us back to each other. Here is a diverse, funny, pitch-perfect chorus of voices that rings loud and true over the wide prairie landscape.


This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. This book is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.

Genres: Poetry, Indigenous

88 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian on semi-hiatus)) Teder · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Fear Poetry 🍁
A review of the Arsenal Pulp Press eBook (September 9, 2025) released simultaneously with the Arsenal Pulp Press paperback.

Sometimes he tells the crew that he's going off to drop a bush shit and he
Just walks into the woods and sits down, lights a cigarette, and sobs silently
For a couple of minutes before throwing his sunnies back on and coming back
To a world that's trying to suck the last drops of dinosaur blood out of the earth.

Have no fear, this is not
Poetry in the conventional sense. As long as
You are prepared to read in this sort of
Format, you will be fine.
It is a novella in chapters about
Four people: Buddy, Baby Momma, Fancy University Boy and Aunty Prof.
They are crafted as Métis archetypes and each are dealing with
Issues. There are connections between them but too much
Information here would be a spoiler and would ruin your
ExPeRiEncE.
A few Métis or Plains Cree words are used, but these are
Easy to look up. The main one to know ahead of time is
"Aho" as it is used at the beginning of each change in the
POV. In Métis culture it is "used as a greeting or
Acknowledgment, symbolizing unity and respect."
[I got that definition from an AI answer to my question.]
I enjoyed Beaver Hills Forever and also thought the
Cover design was especially well done.
The cover and text design was by
Jazmin Welch and the cover art is by
Syd Danger.
Take a chance on this poetic
Novella and I think
You might like it too.

Trivia and Links
I've read Conor Kerr's two previous novels.
The first of those was Avenue of Champions (2021) which I discovered thanks to GR friend Jodi's review and which I reviewed as Métis Family Saga. It was longlisted for the 2023 Giller Prize in Canada.

I then read Prairie Edge (2024) which I enjoyed even more and reviewed it as Buffalo Gal. It was shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize in Canada.

[Jacob Alvarado · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She wonders about those who she sees for a couple of weeks / Who write one beautiful paper and then disappear after the compliments / Their critical analysis and ability to craft a thoughtful piece around / A community-centered Indigenous lens. The ones who disappear without / An email, a conversation, a dialogue, anything to give her a sense of / Where they go. Because she worries. Too many people are gone."

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Metis poetic novella about 4 different characters who are mainly interconnected. Kerr tells the story of Baby Momma, Aunty Prof, Buddy and Fancy University Boy and shows us the daily details of their lives. This is a fascinating, funny and interesting book.


I will read anything Conor Kerr writes.

[Dr. Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

You ever stop part way through reading something and hope that the characters get a happy ending because they genuinely had that moment of realization for themselves and then put in the work to improve themselves but you've been hurt by literature before and you think that it's not going to turn out that way but then you finish reading it and they get that happy ending?

It's a nice feeling and I love it when books do it. It's sharp, smart, and touching all at once. Loved it.

[T Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Conor Kerr and I went in feeling a little bit nervous about the poetic writing, but got deeply invested in the characters' stories about a few lines in.

Like his previous novels, the book surrounds urban indigenous life in the Prairies. It traces the interconnected lives of four characters—Buddy, Baby Mama, Fancy University Prof and Aunty Prof—all making their way through varying situations and institutions. The author, being an assistant professor at University of Alberta, doesn't hold back any punches in criticizing academic institutions and their relationship to indigenous causes. It is very realist and very blunt-force; but somehow incorporates much humour in such an intriguing way.

Highly recommend & I'll definitely be reading more Conor Kerr in future.

[Stephanie H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this! It was a short little book with lots of ups and downs. I appreciated the layers in the characters and the pure Prairie way of speaking/narrating.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I tried to just read it in a night. I found myself skimming.
Then I went back because I realized that there were so many stereotypical messages within each page. I took it slower, digested each message and found this to be quite enjoyable.
It is very unique in its composition and it definitely strikes at the issues.
This will not be for everyone, but it is quite good.
I liked the stories of Baby Momma and Aunty Prof the best, I felt like their attempt to be Metis in a white world was so truthful and so realistic.

[Enid Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was not what I was expecting at all!

Completely different than either of his two earlier titles but covering familiar territory with the same irreverent wit.

I did struggle with the formatting on the e-copy that I read… the text is so small and so densely packed in on the page that it was difficult to follow along with the words on the page.

Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for granting me access to an early digital review copy.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under normal circumstances, poetry and lyricism would make me run a country mile...but here, there is a compelling blunt-force-trauma to the writing. After finally getting into the rhythm of the writing, it ends up being a series of short & sweet present-day examinations of any number of connected issues faced by urban First Nation peoples. Much more than I was expecting, and I was rewarded for my effort.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Conor Kerr's writing about the prairies while in the prairies hits different.

"How do you express Something that no one in your family has expressed before?"

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this author - this book is very original, funny, real.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book. So insightful, hilarious and moving.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and disturbing, poetic and raw. Hard to read as the “colonist”. An intimate look at the racist struggle for indigenous people in the 21st century.

[laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason I didn’t actually expect to like this as much as I did but damn it flowed so well.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writing. Unique style. Became very invested in the four characters in just 84 pages!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this read. So much character, perfectly capturing prairie culture. Fun and relatable contemporary view into the lives of four Metis characters, trying to make their way in the world.

[Kerri Huffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the best books of the year.
I read it in 2 sittings, I was so enthralled with the shifting narratives.

Best line of the book:

"But hell hasn't this like been nothing but
One choice after the other."

[Judith Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Now I have to buy a physical copy so I can lend it out.