An engrossing post-punk novel about teenage daydreams
and sibling dynamics
Set in the early 80s, in a local music scene brimming with post-punk ethos and a disdain for classic rock, Andrew Steinmetz' new novel 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.
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.
PRAISE for Because
“…a work of imagination, observation and sparkling dialogue that continually surprises with infectious humour and heart…a subtle, memorable story about relationships, youth and loss.”
- David O’Meara, author of Masses on Radar.
“…a powerful exploration of family and mental health and nostalgia and that whole notion of looking back on your life and saying, ‘did I do the right thing?’”
– Sean Wilson, artistic director of the Ottawa International Writers Festival.
“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.
“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
“If you’ve ever been in a garage band, or indeed any form of nascent collective artistic endeavour, you’ve probably experienced the magic of the breakthrough moment. It can come when you least expect it, and it can prove maddeningly hard to resummon, but the feeling it instills can keep you chasing it against all sensible odds…. Steinmetz places the reader in this moment with an immediacy that can catch you short.”
-Ian McGillis, Canadian Notes & Queries, Fall/Winter 2023
“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