Books about Vancouver

by Megan Jones

Escape into the pages of a good book about Vancouver, with this list as your guide! [Photo credit: iStock/Ramsey]

The Outer Harbour by Wayde Compton
Poet and SFU Writers’ Studio director Wayde Compton’s debut short story collection is about an artist and a drug-addicted student, both of mixed race, who look to art while struggling with unclear identities. A volcanic island emerges in Burrard Inlet, becoming the site of radical indigenous occupation, and later a real estate development and detention centre for illegal immigrants. Part speculative fiction, part cultural commentary, this Vancouver Book Award winner examines issues of race, class, identity and space.

The Conjoined by Jen Sookfong Lee
On a sunny May morning, Vancouver social worker Jessica Campbell sorts through her mother’s belongings after her recent funeral. In the basement, she makes a shocking discovery – two dead girls curled into the bottom of her mother’s chest freezers. The Conjoined unfolds from here, as Jessica struggles to come to terms with newfound knowledge about her mother, the girls and their parents. Sookfong Lee offers an evocative, nuanced exploration of the often-hidden things that divide us.

Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
Arguably one of the most iconic books set in Vancouver, Taylor’s novel follows the riveting story of a hot young chef, Jeremy, and his eccentric father, an anthropologist, who relocates to Stanley Park to better understand the daily lives of Vancouver’s homeless, all while researching a famously unsolved murder case. With equal parts skill and daring, Taylor ties every thread together – homelessness, murder and the glamourized lives of Vancouver chefs – to create a truly stunning work of fiction.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing and Simple Recipes by Madeleine Thien
Vancouver’s pride and joy, when it comes to writers, is most definitely Madeleine Thien, author of numerous books including Do Not Say We Have Nothing, which spans from 1990s Vancouver to China during the Cultural Revolution, and won the Man Booker Prize and Governor General’s Award in 2016. Prior to this, Thien made waves with her 2001 short story collection, also set in Vancouver, called Simple Recipes, which delicately traces the complex lives of immigrant families.

Last Gang in Town by Aaron Chapman
Last Gang in Town documents the nefarious activities of Vancouver’s Clark Park gang, which dominated local headlines during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Chapman tells their story through interviews with former members, police officers and those who knew them, as well as his own research. It’s a rollicking read about one of the city’s last true gangs.

Vancouver in the Seventies by Kate Bird
Kate Bird’s beautiful photography collection showcases more than 150 photographs of Vancouver taken by Vancouver Sun photographers during the 1970s. Lifeguards pose on Spanish Banks, local hippies embark on major peace marches and rioters fight to be let in to the famously over-sold Rolling Stones concert. Every photograph (and the moment it captures) is more iconic than the last.

How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir by Amber Dawn
Told in a stirring mixture of prose and poetry, How Poetry Saved My Life offers a portrait of acclaimed author Amber Dawn’s experiences hustling the streets of Vancouver, and how those years of sex work impacted her sense of self. She also celebrates poetry and literature, which acted as a lifeline during her most pivotal moments.

Legends of Vancouver by Pauline Johnson
This Canadian classic from iconic First Nations poet Pauline Johnson was first published in 1911. It’s a definite must-read for any Vancouverite. In her poetic retelling of oral First Nations legends, Johnson takes readers back to a time long ago, before the city of Vancouver was built, when the land belonged to the Squamish people.

Vancouver Special by Charles Demers
Vancouver’s favourite comedian, performer and author examines the city he calls home from a critical and humorous viewpoint. He offers a history of anti-Asian racism, a deconstruction of the city's urban sprawl and a survey of the city's politically radical past, among many other essays. It’s a no-holds-barred look at Lotusland that will make you laugh, and maybe even cry, too.