
Pat Dobie is the author of The Tenants (Anvil Press) the novella Pawn to Queen (Arsenal Pulp Press) and Fiction Editing: A Writer’s Roadmap (Lucid Editions).
Reviews of The Tenants
…an incredibly nuanced, eminently readable novel full of insights on being unhoused, a disappearing middle class, and the difficulties of romantic relationships, particularly when both parties have differing communication styles.
Jessica Poon, The British Columbia Review – Read the full review
“A brief, beautiful book. A perfect weekend companion. Brilliantly written.”
“…[a] well-crafted yet effortless read…Dobie tells a story that captures what it means to live with and without the privilege of financial security within an urban environment…”
“…wickedly sardonic yet heartful.”
“Right away the voices drew me in with their generous and interesting asides, a transparency of thought and feeling that lets the reader know there are no secrets being held from them, and most of all, a strong humanity.”
“…a thought-provoking and at times hilariously entertaining afternoon read.”

The Tenants
Order from your local bookstore or online from Anvil Press.
In the city of Vancouver, even dirt costs. In The Tenants three of its residents are struggling with their homes — whether that’s grappling with real estate prices, simmering resentments, or an uneasy co-living arrangement with the local wildlife.
Stark, observational, darkly comic, and deeply human, The Tenants is a view inside the homes of some of Vancouver’s most vulnerable inhabitants as their lives intersect and diverge atop its shifting soil.
- Published by Anvil Press
- ISBN: 978-1-77214-229-7
Watch the virtual launch party for The Tenants here! Hosted by award-winning novelist and playwright Pam Bustin, who talks with Pat about The Tenants and all kinds of fun to do with the International 3-Day Novel contest. Enjoy readings by Pat and a lively Q&A to wrap it up!
Other Books
Fiction Editing: A Writer’s Roadmap (Lucid Editions, 2019) — a niche book for writers. Get the e-book here. Buy the paperback here, or better yet, ask your local bookstore or library to order it in for you.
Pawn to Queen (Arsenal Pulp Press, 1988)