Because

An engrossing punk-rock novel about teenage daydreams and sibling dynamics

Teenage brothers Hombre and Transformer spend their days locked up in their suburban Montreal bedroom, writing songs and dreaming of stardom. Hombre, the younger one, is quiet, contemplative, and talented, a poet in the making. His older brother Transformer is stubborn, domineering, and secretly struggling with mental health issues. Their sequestered world is broken open one summer when their mother hires Spit, a girl from the local guitar shop, to help the boys improve their modest skills. But these good intentions set off a chain reaction with tragic consequences.

Set in the early 80s, in a local music scene brimming with post-punk ethos and a disdain for classic rock, Because is a wry and charming depiction of a sibling relationship founded on feverish angst, unspoken admiration, jealousy, and the pursuit of the greatest song they can write from their own room.

Reviews

“As anyone who has tried can testify, it’s dauntingly difficult to capture the essence of music, and the experience, in print. Some may even argue that it is impossible by definition. But Andrew Steinmetz nails it.” Ian McGillis, CNQ

“Because is not your typical coming-of-age story; it captures the inspiration, irreverence, and innocence of adolescents in the eighties trying to form a rock and roll band.” – Sam Wise, Montreal Guardian

“Because is an engrossing, formally inventive novel that is well worth any historical and musical detours it might invite.” – Emily Mernin, Montreal Review of Books

“The two brothers in this story, tucked into the magic envelope of their room, listening to records and making noise, figuring out which parts of adulthood they can inhabit or destroy, are as real to me as any kid I grew up with. The world of Because could only be Montreal, it could only be the 80s, it could only be these two kids in this particular family. It is real and moving and tenderly drawn.” – Missy Marston, author of The Love Monster and Bad Ideas