The Vancouver Stories : West Coast Fiction from Canada's Best Writers

by Raincoast Books Staff

Book by Raincoast Books Staff

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Canada, Literary Fiction

338 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Samantha Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this collection of short stories and novel excerpts in the hopes of attaching stories to my new home. I imagined beautiful odes to our incredible surroundings, mysterious histories and poetry. Instead, this collections seemed dedicated to the weird and depressing. I supposed it has something to do with Douglas Coupland being the mind behind the collection. His introduction states that he wants to disprove the idea that Vancouver is just a "nice" city.

This book included an excellent variety of writers. From Pauline Johnson to Alice Munro to Shani Mootoo, I was introduced to many Canadian writers I had never read before. I found The Bravest Boat by Malcolm Lowry extremely irritating, even with it's surprise ending.

I especially loved Alice Munro's story, which included a reference to my new home. "The last days of May are among the longest of the year, and in spite of the ferry-dock lights and the lights of the cars streaming into the belly of the boat, she could see some glow in the western sky and against it the black mound of an island -- not Bowen but one whose name she did not know -- tidy as a pudding set in the mouth of the bay."

I was intrigued by Timothy Taylor's excerpt from his novel Stanley Park titled The Canvasback which tells the story of a a chef meeting his father at night in Stanley Park. His father, The Professor, is so obsessed with studying the homeless people who live there that he has moved in with them. He pridefully displays his ability to survive in the woods by killing and cooking a duck. I am similarly curious about what happens at night in this amazing park.

The collection also includes a poignant family story by Madelein Thien titled A Map of the City. Thien is the most recent winner of The Giller Prize. She certainly gave me a new way of seeing Vancouver.

It took me a while to get through and I don't think I understood some of them. While this book was not what I was hoping it would be, I'm still glad to have read these stories.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Vancouver, so I wish this very uneven collection of stories did it more justice. The pieces by Gartner, Gibson, and Mootoo I found especially out of place, but the pieces by Johnson, Munro, Bowering, and Taylor were very good.

[Sheryl Sato · Rating 3 out of 5]

While these stories likely would not endear visitors to Vancouver despite their descriptions of its beauty and uniqueness, there is truth in their depiction of the West Coast.

[Susana Duarte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't make it through the majority of these short stories. They were so void of substance and was really a bore just going through them. Unfortunately I do not recommend this book.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is worthwhile collection of short in and around Vancouver, all varied in settings and scope, all interesting.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

this collection of short stories was hit and miss for me. overall, it was worth reading but it probably is not the best thing i'll get my hands on this year. it's always nice to pick up a book with a collection of some great homegrown talent. i really liked the thread vancouver wove in each story, sometimes just as a setting, sometimes as the main character.

i'll start with douglas coupland [because he's one of my very favourite authors], he introduced the novel and included a wonderful story called 'fire at the ativan factory'. i think it really tells you something about a writer when you can be equally engaged in an introduction and the short stories to follow. he's always witty, entertaining and he is someone canada should be [and is, in my opinion] proud of.

other stories that really caught my attention were 'the jade peony' by wayson choy and 'standing on richards' by george bowering. [the last line in the george bowerig story was perfect! very funny.]

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories spans a wide range of genres, time periods, and publication dates. Most of the stories focus on a moment in time or a character rather than being plot-driven, which made them not so much to my taste. However, I found William Gibson's "The Winter Market" and Lee Maracle's "Polka Partners, Uptown Indians and White Folks" interesting enough to want to read more by those authors. And that may be the best reason for reading this book: it will give you a chance to check out works by Canadian heavyweights such as Malcolm Lowry or Alice Munro and decide if you'd like to explore them further.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent compilation of Vancouver stories from a variety of Vancouver writers. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to see Vancouver from many different angles as well as sample some fantastic local writing.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting mix of authors and a few really good short stories.