It was first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1979 and was a finalist for the Governor General's Award.

Nate and Elizabeth are an unhappily married couple, with both husband and wife involved in extramarital affairs.

Lesje, pronounced 'Lashia,' is Nate's lover of mixed (Ukrainian and Jewish) ancestry and works along with his wife in the department of paleontology in Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto as a paleontologist fascinated by dinosaurs, giving the book its title.

(Both the museum and the city are described in the book in great detail and are immediately recognizable.

Feminist author Marilyn French gave the novel a positive review in the New York Times, calling it a "splendid, fully integrated work.