Consider Her Ways

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1947, this is Frederick Philip Grove's last and most unique book. In the tradition of Orwell's 'Animal Farm', Grove examines the idea of a utopian society through the story of a group of travelling ants who find themselves in North America. An amateur scientist encounters the colony and makes telepathic contact with a very special elder of the ant community. In fact, the ant infuses the scientist with her memory and uses her new friend as a medium through which she tells the colony's incredible story, a tale that holds up a mirror to our culture, demonstrating to both worlds the parallels and contrasts between the pastoral ways of the ants and the North American life of excess. This classic Canadian novel is back in print for the first time in 20 years, allowing readers to more completely assess Grove's body of works. Fans of speculative fiction will be delighted to see that his prose is as fresh as it was 50 years ago. This was Grove's last novel, and it stands as a testament both to his writing and his prescience.