Book details

The Woman and the Ape

A Novel

Author: Peter Høeg; Translated by Barbara Haveland

The Woman and the Ape

The Woman and the Ape

$11.99

About This Book

The Woman and the Ape is the story of a unique and unforgettable couple—Madelene and Erasmus. Madelene—a sleeping beauty drowsing gently in an alcoholic stupor—is the beautiful and disillusioned...

Page Count
272
On Sale
07/30/2013

Book Details

The Woman and the Ape is the story of a unique and unforgettable couple—Madelene and Erasmus. Madelene—a sleeping beauty drowsing gently in an alcoholic stupor—is the beautiful and disillusioned wife of Adam Burden, a distinguished behavior scientist. Erasmus—the unlikely prince—is a 300-pound ape.

Erasmus is brought to the Burdens' London home after escaping from animal smugglers. In him Adam Burden believes he has discovered a hitherto unknown mammal, a highly intelligent anthropoid ape, the closest thing yet to a human being. If he is right, Erasmus will become the jewel of Burden's new zoo. But Madelene decides to save Erasmus, investing in her efforts all the single-mindedness she until now has reserved for drinking. The two fall in love—a love affair as emotionally and erotically charged as any female-male relationship could ever be. But Erasmus has come to England with a purpose, and eventually the couple must face the world they have sought to flee.

A fable for our time, The Woman and the Ape poses searching questions about the nature of love, freedom, and humanity

Imprint Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

ISBN

9781466850804

In The News

The Woman and the Ape has many arrestingly stylish and inventive passages and an overall brilliance of tone that shows once again the originality of Mr. Høeg's voice.” —The New York Times

“A witty, compelling thriller that touches a primal nerve that has lain dormant since King Kong fell hard for Fay Wray.” —Francine Prose, People

“This decade's most offbeat love story . . . Funny, often touching, and definitely inventive.” —David Walton, St. Petersburg Times

The Woman and the Ape is great fun to read. . . . Peter Høeg has written an intelligent novel of ideas and slyly disguised it as a lighthearted comedy. . . . He's figured out how to blend his various styles into a distinctive voice that's satiric, deadpan funny, at once warm and cool.” —Brigitte Frase, Newsday

“No imaginative writer working today is any more daring than Danish novelist Peter Høeg, any more willing to shock readers with something that is genuinely new. . . . He does it again with this utterly original mix of fantasy, fable, myth, and love story.” —Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)

“This should confirm Peter Høeg's place as one of the most creative and interesting authors today.” —Elizabeth D. Dickie, Richmond Times-Dispatch

“One of the most griping books I've read in years. It moved me so deeply that by the end I found myself weeping.” —Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, The Village Voice Literary Supplement

“An engrossing fable.” —Deloris Ament, The Seattle Times

About the Creators

The Woman and the Ape

The Woman and the Ape

$11.99