Ant Hill by E.

O Morris

Although “ecocriticism” has become popular in college English departments across the
country, Anthill is the first time ecocriticism has been placed in the hands of a scientist in
popular culture. Anthill’s interdisciplinary, multi-genre approach to storytelling will pique the
interest of bibliophiles and bookworms alike. Anthill’s concerns are timely, as they reflect
popular environmental buzzwords like “going green,” “eco-friendly,” and the use of the word
“green” as a verb. In this sense, E. O. Wilson has “greened” the novel in the theoretical manner
of a “ecowriter,” rather than in the form of a paperless thing.

Anthill pollinates literature and natural science in terms of the environment, and the
blending, as with many previous attempts to merge science and the humanities, is sometimes
lopsided and awkward. The cheap thriller-style opening and closing scenes that bookend Anthill
do not support the text’s inner beauty, but new readers should not be put off by Wilson’s
clumsy unraveling and sewing up of the narrative, because Wilson is at his best in the middle of
the novel.

This story walks a new line between fiction and nonfiction with more grace and
presence than the rest of the novel, but without the rest of the story’s support, this striking
vignette isn’t powerful enough to persuade. The novel relies on the “Chronicles” chapter to
explain its ecological value, just as the novel relies on this section to win readers over. When
seen through Wilson’s curious eyes and in light of the popular desire to be environmentally
friendly, ants begin to tell their own minuscule, communist stories that are as fascinating
literally as they are metaphorically. Wilson’s treatment of human communities and ant
colonies, as well as the subtle overlap between the two worlds, will delight readers, whether or
not they are ant lovers.

Anthill’s range of fiction, nonfiction, science, conservation, politics, and business makes
it a unique and exciting novel. If readers are interested in even one of these topics, Anthill will
entertain them not because of its flawless grasp of the subject (with the exception of
entomology), but because of its unique perspective on the topic in relation to other topics.
Wilson combines business and social activism, law and ecology, and storytelling and biology in
his work. Anthill isn’t just fun bedtime reading for biologists; it also raises important questions
for the general public.