The Animals' Waltz

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian in Pickering, Ontario.

Sophie, an actress, spends her days working at her father’s mattress
shop in uptown Toronto, and her nights commiserating with fellow
unfulfilled artists in the downtown Toronto bar scene. Sophie’s
depression is driven to crisis by her appearance in a blue movie
produced by her ex-boyfriend. Looking for something of value to
authenticate her life, she discovers her unfinished translation of the
work of a Viennese poet. Her decision to complete this work takes her to
Vienna, where she is involved in some amusing adventures.

This romantic comedy is filled with unlikely circumstances and
exasperating caricatures. The self-deprecating and sarcastic Sophie, a
heroine of dubious quality, is intensely honest as she reveals
weaknesses and judgments. Yet all the angst Sophie can muster does not
dim the sunny tone of the novel. Its light, comic escapades take the
edge off the sober issues that provide the conflict. The characters are
taken to the verge of crisis, but these crises affect them in only the
most superficial way. Before they are really challenged, they are saved.
Further self-knowledge or growth is unnecessary, since happiness is
assured. The Animals’ Waltz would work even better as a film than it
does as a novel.