Vancouver Author Whitney French's Dystopian Verse Novel 'Syncopation'
Whitney French, a Vancouver-based author and educator, has released her first full-length work of fiction titled Syncopation, a dystopian novel uniquely crafted in verse. The book follows two young women, O and Z, as they navigate a fractured Earth where societies clash over the storage and control of memory, traveling through ruined cities, rural landscapes, and earthquake-scarred terrains while exploring themes of identity, power, and love.
A Story That Demanded Poetic Form
French initially attempted to write Syncopation as a conventional novel but faced repeated failures. "Why this particular form?" she explained. "I had no choice. I tried to write this as a novel too many times and failed. And failed. And failed." The author, who teaches speculative fiction at the University of British Columbia, ultimately embraced the verse structure as dictated by the story itself.
"I'm a storyteller," French said. "The story will always tell me what it needs. I didn't want to write it this way at first — it was really hard — but it was either abandon the story or brush up my poetry chops." This creative struggle led to a breakthrough in character development, particularly for Z, who evolved from a two-dimensional love interest into a fully realized character with agency.
Exploring Black Futures Through Speculative Fiction
French's work is deeply rooted in speculative fiction, which she values for its expansiveness and political potential. "I love speculative fiction," she noted. "I love its expansiveness. There's a way that imagination moves beyond our immediate reality that I find extremely fascinating and appealing." For French, this genre serves as a platform to explore Black futures and geographies, a recurring theme in her writing.
Beyond Syncopation, French has edited two anthologies showcasing contemporary Black authors: Black Writers Matter and Griot: Six Writers' Sojourn into the Dark. Her essays and poetry have appeared in publications such as Quill & Quire, Geist, and CBC Books, establishing her as a significant voice in Canadian literature.
Research and Inspiration Behind the World-Building
The world-building in Syncopation blends imaginative extrapolation with meticulous research. Elements like memory-storing chips and infrastructure designed to withstand acid rain were conceived during a period of isolation in northern Quebec during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I was in northern Quebec during COVID, quarantined, in extreme cold — minus 20, minus 30 — with a lot of time to think and create," French recalled.
Research also took her to archives and locations like Niagara Falls, which serves as a setting in the novel. "It feels like a different planet in winter — the ice, the water, how the atmosphere responds to that massive waterfall in cold. That absolutely influenced the book," she said. In a serendipitous moment, French even encountered an earthquake engineer on a bus who provided insights into the feasibility of certain plot elements, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of her creative process.
Syncopation represents a bold departure from traditional narrative forms, offering readers a poetic exploration of dystopian themes through the lens of Black futurism. French's dedication to her craft and her willingness to adapt to the story's demands have resulted in a unique literary work that challenges conventions and expands the boundaries of speculative fiction.
