To paraphrase Jane Austen, a man in possession of an ape must keep an eye on his wife. In Peter Høeg's wry new novel. The Woman and the Ape. the wife of a British behavioral scientist runs off with his prized subject, an ape named Erasmus.

At once a satire and cautionary tale, The Woman and the Ape examines the reckless ambition that sometimes accompanies modern behavioral science and animal-rights activism. At the center of the novel lurks Erasmus, an unknown breed of ape with suspicious qualities that extend far beyond his uncannily humanlike dental records. He lands in London after escaping from the Ark, a ship that was transporting him as a captive from and to sites that are undisclosed.

Dubbed Erasmus after the Dutch-born 16th Century humanist and author of The Praise of Folly, the ape both educates and seduces. In addition to befuddling zoologists and animal-rights activists, he bewitches Madelene, the acutely alcoholic Danish wife of eminent scientist Adam Burden.

Even in Madelene's first, wordless encounter with the ape, it's clear that Erasmus can offer her more consideration than her distracted husband. Madelene discovers the ape imprisoned on the grounds of the couple's manor, where her husband has confined him after capturing him. When Madelene stares at him from out of an alcoholic stupor, he hands her a peach. It is a Prufrockian sort of olive branch, and she accepts it gratefully.

But Erasmus does more to soothe and entertain as he escapes with Madelene and romps through the London Zoo, Hyde Park and St. Francis Forest. Metaphorically, the ape allows Høeg to return to his familiar theme of Danish disenfranchisement in a British-controlled society. Høeg, Dutch-born author of the internationally acclaimed ecothriller Smilla's Sense of Snow, infuses his novels with hearty critiques of British society. Here Høeg introduces Erasmus into London as both potential savior and apocalyptic presence:

Erasmus the ape was not just good, he was wonderful, seemingly heaven-sent—like the Falklands War, only on a smaller scale, a dragon, an economy-size King Kong tailor-made for taking the public's mind off such insoluble problems as the general deterioration and impoverishment of the city, race riots and widespread organized crime. Besides which it was completely apolitical.

As in his previous novels, Høeg ponders the historic ambivalence of Danes toward London—their endless yearning to travel, but upon arriving home, their desire to find Denmark “exactly as they left it.” Yet Høeg also admits to a curious Danish nostalgia for a “social and zoological paradise” that never existed. In an uproariously funny scene set in London's resplendent Danish Society. Madelene sneaks Erasmus inside huddled in a wheelchair and disguised as her 300-pound Danish grandmother.

Madelene and Erasmus’ timing coincides with a meeting of the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals. The keynote speaker is […] Madelene's estranged husband, who will speak about an “extraordinary zoological subject that had come into his possession.”

The dangers of possession and control—and colonialism of all varieties—are central to Høeg's work, and in this novel he archly traces these traditions back to the Old Testament. Not only is the scientist named Adam, but his wife betrays him in some of London's most lush gardens. Høeg alludes even more overtly to the Bible when Adam's sister Andrea, a corrupt animal-rights activist, updates Genesis:

If God were to take another crack at the Creation that couldn't be done from scratch either. Or for the benefit of two spectators in their birthday suits. Nowadays he'd have to get out there and raise the money first. And then he'd have to drum up a mass audience.

For the most part, Høeg's humor and scathing social commentary successfully dovetail, though the novel's ending involves some hectic maneuvering coupled with a surprise that seems unduly influenced by The Planet of the Apes. Høeg proves himself capable of juggling politics, plot and narrative considerations. He never sacrifices character development for the sake of plot, and he awards moments of dignity to all of his characters, humans and apes alike.