The Outer Harbour

by Wayde Compton

Wayde Compton's debut story collection is imbued with the color of speculative fiction; one strand of stories follows the emergence of a volcanic island, which alternatively becomes the site of a radical Native peoples' occupation, a real-estate development, and finally a detention center for illegal immigrants. Moving from 2001 through to 2025, The Outer Harbour is at once a history book and a cautionary tale of the future, condensing and confounding our preconceived ideas around race, migration, gentrification, and home.

Wayde Compton is the author of three poetry collections. He is director of the Writer's Studio at Simon Fraser University.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada, Read For School, Speculative Fiction, School, Politics

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2014

About the author

Wayde Compton has written six books and has edited two literary anthologies. His collection of short stories, The Outer Harbour, won the City of Vancouver Book Award in 2015 and he won a National Magazine Award for Fiction in 2011. His work has been a finalist for three other City of Vancouver Book Awards as well as the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Compton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Performance art and activism. New volcanic islands. Immigration. Possession and belonging. LARP-ing. Grant proposals. Condominium floor plans. Conjoined twins. Crowd control through holograms.

Just a few of the themes in Wayde Compton's The Outer Harbour short story collection! Many of the stories interlock, picking up characters and scenes years later in a different circumstance.

I learned about Compton's work when I was browsing a local authors' end cap at a Vancouver book store. Compton writes Vancouver into every story, with geography and neighborhoods, and I liked seeing this alternative/speculative version of the city that I've walked around many times.

The present-tense writing style was not my favorite, but I could look over that and enjoy the ride through Compton's Outer Harbour world.

Compton has an essay collection about African (North) Americans in Canada, After Canaan: Essays on Race, Writing, and Region, and I'm eager to read that after this short story collection.

[Paul Dembina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rather underwhelmed by these set of (mostly) connected stories. I expected something a little more unusual (I'm always expecting the unexpected!) but this was rather more conventional

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that you want to re-read, spend time with, dwell in. Compton's stories can stand alone, yet are best experienced together. Though the book cover advertises "stories," this collection tells a singular story: the story of a fictionalized, yet real, Vancouver.
This collection is both serious and ridiculous. It pokes fun at the very structures that allow it to exist. There are some parts of the collection that may seem odd or experimental or inaccessible at first read, but make sense retrospectively and become key clues in understanding the collection's core themes. This is a multi-layered text; and I look forward to further readings, digging deeper into its subterranean spaces.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this just before being jolted awake by an earthquake, a detail I'm sure Wayde Compton would enjoy.

The early stories are narrative and disorienting. Some of the later pieces are satirical takes on art criticism and project applications, which are witty if not as engrossing.

The whole book has a sort of discordant resonance. There will be aftershocks.

[fran ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Displacement, activism, gentrification, migration, trauma, collective memory, and at the centre of it all Vancouver. I thought this short story collection was pretty incredible.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED these Vancouver stories!!

[Michael Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing collection of short fiction, grouped around themes of place and identity, both physical and imaginary, and the intermingling of the so-called real and the words/concepts used to dis-locate the so-called real. Exploration of contested states of being, often described as the tension between state use of power/control and counter culture/avant garde propositions. Like like.

[Dessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with any story collection, some were stronger than others. Very much enjoyed the way Compton played with telling stories outside of traditional structure - in a series of posters, for example, or in a series of (I'm assuming fake??) calls for grant proposals. One story in particular really shook me, really stuck with me. And of course, the cover is gorgeous. But so are the insides.

[Ben Berman Ghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the most striking work of Speculative Fiction in Canadian Literature I have read in a good long while.
The stories here stay with me long after I finish them.

[Madison Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good but truly so confusing I felt like a dummy 80% of the time

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

huh ??????

[Esmé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly came together in the last story in a really fascinating way. Hoorah for Vancouver-centric speculative fiction!

[Ryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredibly imaginative, entertaining, and haunting. Will be thinking about this one for a long time. • “You will know in your heart if your application has been successful. You will feel it beginning.”

[DW · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of intellectually related short stories (he pushes the genre in great ways). There is a larger vision for the collection of stories and each one has a unique approach to address the struggle of 'why do i live here' and 'who belongs here'. I wanted a fresh book and that is what I got: stories range from Dionne Brandesque conversations among young people, a series of event posters, and even the floor plans of imagined condos founded on newly arisen volcanic islands that are contested off the coast of Vancouver. Highly recommended.

[Suzanne Montigny · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting collection of short stories that all intertwine as they progress and it all happens in Vancouver! I loved the mixture of imagination and actual historical events. I was delighted to discover the maps were drawn by his five-year-old daughter. And I enjoyed the inclusion of First Nations. (I happen to have a soft spot in my heart for our native brethren having grown up in Chilliwack.) But most of all, I let out many loud chuckles as I read. The award Mr. Compton was presented with was well-deserved.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe this just didn't jive with me because I don't normally read short stories. Or maybe because a lot of bad things happened whenever I was reading this.

On a better note, the stories are gorgeous. I felt like I was in Vancouver, though I've never been there. Great Canadian author to continue to look out for.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of beautifully written stories. Each has individual charm and humour, and the links between the tales -- links of character, or setting, or both -- become clearer, more numerous, and more delightful as the book progresses. A fine example of how it's done!

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of short stories ranging from the past into the future, and following a disconnected narrative about life lived in Vancouver. A beautifully engaging and fun read.

[Katelyn Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling narratives and unconventional story lines. One of those books that you wish you could speak to the writer to wrap you head around things. I'm all ears.

[Vidu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for school, and IDK. I have no problem saying that most of it went over my head. I do appreciate it though and a lot of the writing was beautiful. I'll probably return to it at another time though.

[belles_bookishlife · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Cara Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a maze. Enticing and rich.