• Syncopation: A Novel in Verse

Syncopation: A Novel in Verse

by Whitney French

February 3, 2026 | ISBN 978-1-998408-28-3 | 300 Pages

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In the aftermath of a Memory War, society is fragmented into strange new cultures, castes and coalitions. Set against a backdrop of retrofitted food garages, microchip-sorting factories and hyperloop terminals, Whitney French brings us a dazzling novel in verse where memory is the highest currency and love, like all revolutions, is dangerous, unruly and singed with hope.

O and Z are two young women searching for purpose in a world where a decades-long earthquake reverberates through the Earth’s crust, and the population scrambles to hide from deadly acid rain. Descended from space pirates, O is drawn to the sky, while Z is earthbound, a skilled forager with connections to the black market. The two become travel companions and lovers until, torn between choosing their values or each other, a fateful decision must be made at the el Corazón space station.

In this speculative and intoxicating novel, French offers readers an intricate future-world that resonates so powerfully with our own, as it explores a people gripped in the war-torn politics of migration, memory-keeping, labour and survival.

“Wry, tender and powerfully inventive, Syncopation names the worlds and relations that may yet outlive a ravaged earth. Whitney French is herself a ‘Neo-Griot,’ creating an inhabitable future through rhythm, choral voice and incantatory memory work. This is vigilante storytelling, demanding not only speculative contexts but also generic refusals, a book that honours the sublime forms of love.” – David Chariandy, author of Soucouyant and Brother

"A vivid, compelling, active novel in verse. The world is divided into four quadrants, each plagued by its own unexpected weather. O and Z adore each other through the ruins of memory loss, earthquake, and world collapse, as they travel together towards a new way of being. Whitney French has a wonderful sense of image and true ear for beauty. I loved especially the play with déjà vu, the society of beings who eschew names as a way to stay together, and how Hogan's Alley appears anew as roadway of the future. This is an extraordinary book – original and strange." – Larissa Lai, author of The Tiger Flu and The Lost Century

Events with Whitney French

    • The "Sorry Remnants of the World" (Zoe McKenna, The British Columbia Review, 14/01/2026)
      "Whitney French’s new novel-in-verse, Syncopation, is a beautiful, challenging narrative … Syncopation is ultimately a story about memory, history, and the dangers of forgetting far more than it is a story about ill-fated love in unlikely circumstances."
    • Syncopation by Whitney French (Paul Kincaid, Strange Horizons, 12/01/2026)
      "Vigorous, insistent, and stimulating, [Syncopation is] the sort of book that sets you off in an unexpected new direction."
    • Who's Who British Columbia (BC Bookworld, Winter 2025–2026)
      "Whitney French imagines a fractured future where memory is currency, migration is survival and love is as dangerous as it is vital in her speculative fiction novel, Syncopation."
    • 14 Canadian books coming out in November (CBC Books, 04/11/2025)
      It's great to see Whitney's novel included on this list!
    • New science-fiction books offer techno terror, body horror and a novel-length poem (Alex Good, the Toronto Star, 01/11/2025)
      "It’s Whitney French’s ability to blend experimentation in language with an earthy, often documentary-like directness that makes “Syncopation” a unique genre experience."
    • 50 Canadian fiction books we're excited about this fall (CBC Books, 21/08/2025)
      Whitney's book is one of 50 Canadian fiction books the CBC is excited about this fall
    • 2025 Fall Preview: Fiction (Cassandra Drudi, Quill & Quire, 23/07/2025)
      We're delighted to see Whitney French's amazing novel Syncopation on this list.
    • Most Anticipated: Our 2025 Fall Fiction Preview (49th Shelf, 10/07/2025)
      Whitney's novel in verse is included in this great list of most anticipated fall fiction.

  • Whitney French (she/her) is a writer, educator and publisher. She is the editor of the award-winning anthology Black Writers Matter (University of Regina, 2019) and Griot: Six Writers' Sojourn into the Dark (Penguin Random House, 2022). Whitney is a Black futurist who explores memory, loss, technology and nature in her work. She is a certified arts educator and an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing at the University of British Colombia. She is also the co-founder and publisher of Hush Harbour, the only Black queer feminist press in Canada.