Some Girls Do

by Teresa McWhirter

A gritty, revelatory portrait of twenty something life in the modern urban jungle, Some Girls Do depicts a group of tough, independent, and sexual young women. Lily, Jezebel, Hannah, Carrotgirl, Em, and Blue are not yet ready to commit to careers — or anything else. In sharp yet poetic prose that captures the rhythm of the streets, Teresa McWhirter offers an acute yet surprisingly tender glance into the urban underbelly and the lives and dreams of the seemingly ambitionless generation of young people who inhabit it.

Genres: Fiction

148 pages, Paperback

First published June 17, 2004

About the author

After extensive travel across Canada and the US, her first novel, Some Girls Do was published by Raincoast/Polestar books (2002).Teresa McWhirter grew up in Kimberley, in the east Kootenays of interior BC. She received a BA with a double major in English and Creative Writing from the University of Victoria.

Following an assortment of jobs including teaching English in Korea, driving an ice cream truck, and scaring children at a haunted house, she published Dirtbags (Anvil Press, 2007) and YA Skank (Lorimer, 2011).

During the past few years Teresa has toured Europe and North America with punk rock bands, gathering material for her new novel Five Little Bitches (Anvil, 2012)

She lives in east Vancouver.

Reviews

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is a heartbreaker, every time. Write another book as soon as possible Teresa McWhirter, Vancouver needs you.

[Andre S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teresa McWhirter’s Some Girls Do offers a refreshing and deeply empathetic look at young women living on the margins of expectation. The novel is unafraid to dwell in uncertainty, and that courage gives it an emotional honesty that is rare. From the outset, McWhirter establishes a voice that is confident, observant, and quietly compassionate, drawing the reader into a world that feels intensely real.

What makes this book so compelling is its refusal to moralize. The characters are not framed as cautionary tales or aspirational figures; they are simply allowed to be. Their choices, contradictions, and moments of stillness are treated with respect, creating a sense of intimacy between reader and text. The city setting is rendered with vivid detail, serving as both backdrop and catalyst for the characters’ inner lives.

The relationships between the women are particularly well drawn. McWhirter captures the way friendships in your twenties can feel like lifelines, fragile, intense, and absolutely essential. There is humor here, as well as melancholy, and the balance between the two feels authentic. The novel understands that tenderness can exist even in the grittiest circumstances.

Some Girls Do is a novel that rewards patience and attentiveness. It’s less concerned with plot than with atmosphere and emotional resonance, and readers who appreciate character-driven fiction will find much to admire. By the end, the book leaves you with a sense of having witnessed something true and quietly profound.

[Neve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. It wasn’t astounding but I’d recommend it for a good read.

It’s not like anything I’ve read before, which is why I was intrigued. Lots of other reviews call it boring and confusing- the latter may be true, it did flick around quite a bit but boring? I don’t think so. It’s about the lives of a group of lost people living in a dark and dingy city, finding their own way in the madness of it all. Young adults trapped in their lives of drugs and drunken fogginess, romantic entanglements and a changing world. It may be mundane but that isn’t boring. To me anyway.

It had some really enjoyable storylines and lovable (and hate-able) characters, (Hannah, Em, Carrotgirl and Franky in particular were my favourites) it all just felt very real. Which was cool to read.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really know if I liked this book or not. It wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't say it was that good either. I started reading it at work and was interrupted a bit, so I thought that was why the book didn't seem to make much sense. It's just written very choppy. It jumps from one subject to the other, one person to the next. I guess considering all the characters where either stoned or drunk throughout the book, that can explain the reason it's written the way it is? The part I actually enjoyed the most was the chapter called "A Girl & Her Farther. It was a sad story and was written without any interruptions from other characters. Interesting book I guess, maybe I just don't get it.

[Jade Lopert · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, it's a cute little story. It's by no means terribly original or terribly great, but it's enjoyable. Probably could have dealt with a few less main characters since given the length you never quite get into anyone's stories enough as you want to. In all fairness, I probably would have LOVED it when I was 15 though.

[Jenn Custard-Jarosz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly charming with interesting characters. Conclusion a little sloppy and anti-climatic, but kind of appropriate for a believable memoir.

[Stevie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up randomly from the outdoor shelves at the STrand. Fun and worth a read.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into lives that no one sees. This is worth a look if you ever wondered where you would have ended up if you married that guy that lived in his mom's basement.