This weekend I was putting the final touches on the scrap book of our vacation to Vancouver, B.C., Canada. As I was gluing down images of Gastown and the Chinese Garden on the East Side, it reminded me of a book that I had bought while I was there.

Dirtbags, by Teresa McWhirter, is about a girl named Spider who is sent to live in Vancouver with her aunt after she was involved in some trouble in her hometown located in rural B.C. She uses the weed that her boyfriend gave her to say goodbye to barter her way into living in an apartment with two girls, Blue and Sally, who quickly become close friends.

In her early 20’s, Spider is a victim of her poor choices. From her friends, to her lovers, to her recreation, Spider can’t seem to catch a break as she continues to make poorer and poorer decisions.

• She falls in love with a boy named Otis, and after she moves in with him he becomes a meth-head and almost OD’s.
• She spends her free hours hanging out in a local bar that attracts all the wrong people for her to meet and befriend.
• She looses her job at a local bookstore because she spends all her time doing drugs and drinking with friends.
• Finally, she takes a new job with an old friend from her hometown and it turns into her biggest mistake yet.

Once you get past the grit of the characters and their decisions, the true charm in this book is that it gives a picture of Vancouver that not everyone gets to see. You may walk past it on the sidewalks or sit next to these kids on the metro and not even know it. The vivid descriptions by the author not only make you wince when the consequences of decisions are realized, but almost make it so you can hear the distinct Canadian accent of Spider and her friends.

I bought this book in a local bookstore on Granville Island called Blackberry Books.  I recommend this store to anyone who is visiting Metro Vancouver as they not only carry popular American authors, but have a wide selection of books by Vancouver authors as well.

Who is your favorite Canadian author?