Terrific novel in the tradition of British satirists like Waugh or Maugham. I would have given it five stars except for the character of the wife, which added an unnecessary sentimental note. Still, highly recommended. The writing is sophisticated and the humor dark as hell. ( )

Goya's Dog is about an English artist Edward Dacres who, through a case of mistaken identity, ends up in Toronto at the start of the Second World War. Penniless, contemptuous of his surroundings, unmotivated to paint and unwilling to work, he goes into a downward spiral until he is saved by beautiful heiress Darly Burner.

Dacres is not an easy character to like. Indeed, I found the first half of the book describing his self-inflicted descent to be tiresome after a while and wished that Tarnopolsky would just get on with it. That he does eventually, and in the end, I was impressed by how skillfully he manipulates the reader. By giving brief and sometimes unexpected glimpses into Dacres's past, he slowly leads the reader to an understanding of Dacres's circumstances and mindset, and he succeeds in turning one's initial contempt into compassion.

I hesitate to say that I enjoyed reading this book. However, Tarnopolsky writes with much humour and does an excellent job of evoking the feel of Toronto at the start of the war. This first novel from Tarnopolsky is intriguing enough that I would be interested in reading more from this author. ( )