Provenance

the long version

"Canadian art academic Pity Beane travels to Europe to trace the trail of the subject of her obsession, a painting of a young man known simply as "Tender." Now hidden in a Viennese brothel watched over by Leda Otenreath, a madam on the verge of madness, Pity finally sees the boy of her dreams. As Pity begins to unravel the provenance of the painting, she encounters prostitutes, a rollerskating monkey, a talking cow and glimpses of Leda's past. From the Paris art scene in the 1920s to glittering London salons, Leda's journey through the 20th century is one of constant re-invention, ever-changing and witnessed by the painting. Pity and Leda's encounter forces them to face their own brutal pasts, under the gaze of Tender's wartime horror. Each is released and transformed, and Pity returns home on her own beautiful journey."--BOOK JACKET.