Oscar Zarate

Part historical narrative, part modern fiction, the book consists of two interlinked stories: the first focuses on the 18th-century painter Thomas Girtin and his relationship with his friend and rival J.M.W. Turner; the second tells the tale of three amateur artists in the present day, united by a shared interest in Girtin's art. Using this dual narrative to draw parallels...

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, an incident takes place in a North London park. Chris is accidentally bitten by an excited dog and aims a defensive kick at it. The owner, well-known polemicist Ivan Grubb, takes to his blog to express his outrage, spinning the story to fit happily within his own narrative. When Ivan and Chris relate the event...