Born in The Hague, Netherlands, his family emigrated to Canada in 1950, settling in Burnaby, British Columbia.
In 1982, he joined the English faculty at Redeemer College, now Redeemer University, in Ancaster, Ontario, teaching Canadian, American literature, and creative writing.
Cook's stories have been published in Canada's leading literary journals.
His stories in Home in Alfalfa were adapted into a stage play which was performed by the Redeemer University College Theatre Arts department in the fall of 2007.
His novel Heron River will appear in Dutch translation in 2015 under the title De Tuin van Adam.