Fifteen Dogs

Winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize 2015
Finalist of the Toronto Book Awards 2015
Winner of the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for 2015

— It's interesting, — said Hermes, — what it would be like if animals had human minds.
— I bet a year of service, — said Apollo, — that animals, upon gaining human minds, would become even more miserable than humans.
That's how it all began. A bet in a bar between the gods Hermes and Apollo led them to grant human consciousness and language to fifteen dogs.
Upon receiving new abilities, the dogs lose their peace. Some try to ignore this gift, wishing to remain part of the dog pack, while others embrace the changes. The gods watch as the dogs attempt to explore the human world, how they mortally feud with each other, and each struggles with new thoughts and feelings. The clever Benji moves from house to house, the Prince becomes a poet, and Méjnun establishes mutual understanding with a human on some deep level.
So which of the gods will win the wager? And will any of the dogs, who received this remarkable gift, be happy by the end of their lives?