Hold Your Tongue

by Matthew Tétreault

Upon learning his great-uncle Alfred has suffered a stroke, Richard sets out for Ste. Anne, in southeastern Manitoba, to find his father and tell him the news.

Waylaid by memories of his stalled romance, tales of run-ins with local Mennonites, his job working a honey wagon, and struck by visions of Métis history and secrets of his family’s past, Richard confronts his desires to leave town, even as he learns to embrace his heritage.

Evoking an oral storytelling epic that weaves together one family’s complex history, Hold Your Tongue asks what it means to be Métis and francophone. Recalling the work of Katherena Vermette and Joshua Whitehead, Matthew Tétreault’s debut novel shines with a poignant but playful character-driven meditation on the struggles of holding onto “la langue,” and marks the emergence of an important new voice.

Trade Paperback / May 1, 2023 isbn 10: 1-77439-071-X isbn 13: 978-1-77439-071-9 BISAC 1: FIC 019000 BISAC 2: FIC 059000 BISAC 3: FIC 066000 320 pp / 6 x 9 / $22.95 CDN $17.95 USD

About The Author

Matthew Tétreault is French-Métis from the Ste. Anne area of Manitoba. He is the author of What Happened on the Bloodvein (Pemmican Publications, 2015), a collection of short stories. He recently completed a PhD in Métis literature and literary history in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta. He lived in Edmonton for 7 years. He currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with his wife, daughter, in-laws, and his old cat, Major Tom. Hold Your Tongue is his first novel.

ADDITIONAL SALES POINTS

• Important addition to stories of Métis history and identity. • Of interest to anyone who speaks and reads Michif and the French-Canadian langauge. • Debut novel author of considerable talent.

MARKETING PLAN

• ARC review copies and press releases to all applicable online and print publications including magazines, bloggers, digital book influencers, television, and radio. • Book release announcement on website and newsletter as well as all social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter • Dedicated podcast episode featuring interview and readings, available through Apple Podcasts. • Submit to all eligible awards. • Ads in all applicable publications. • Home-town book celebration and participation in NeWest season launch in Edmonton. Virtual events where applicable.

MARKETS

• National trade: fiction • US and UK trade: fiction

COMPARISON TITLES

• Jonny Appleseed by Joshua Whitehead (9781551527253, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2018) • The Strangers by Katherena Vermette (9780735239630, Penguin, 2022)