"Sitting around in 1998, pondering the new century that was looming—and it did seem to loom, people were getting antsy—I thought it would be an idea to cast my imaginative net back 100 years and see what I could make of the catch. So even though the book is 'historical' it was written with the present—and future—very much in mind. What was Ontario like at the time, and how much have we changed? (In some respects, not much.) It's a compelling period to investigate, very turbulent, with old certainties breaking down, new ideas taking hold, new technologies. On a personal note, because of the oddity of my family history, I have no idea who my natural grandparents are—the only traceable grandparent, to whom I dedicated the book, died before I was born—and so kicking around in this lost time was my way of getting closer to them."