THE HUMANS

‘The Humans’ remains a popular fun book club read from Matt Haig and makes for a great Wild Card choice.  Published in 2013, this is a quirky and amusing read, turning man’s curiously with space and alien life on its head and taking the reader into the realms of ‘what ifs’. 

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The body of Cambridge Professor Andrew Martin has been abducted by an alien on a mission to destroy the mathematical genius’s ground-breaking discovery - as this is thought to be harmful for his own planet, Vonnadoria. The imposter alien arrives naked, roaming the streets of Cambridge learning to adapt to ‘the human’ world. In spite of a loving wife and teenage son he feels lost amongst the species and hates everyone on the planet – apart from Newton the dog. Who is he? And what could make this alien change his mind about the human race? 

 

This surreal narrative is surprisingly easy to read and there are plenty of funny ‘laugh out loud’ moments such as learning about love and sex from the pages of Cosmopolitan.

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It’s definitely an alternative book club read: The pace is fast, light-hearted, using humour to spotlight the absurdity of modern man, whilst unleashing profounder observations and questions. ‘They exist … in two worlds – the world of appearances and the world of truth’.  

 

Matt Haig remains on the bestseller list with 'The Midnight Library' (also reviewed in our Library) and praised for non-fiction self-help book ‘Notes on a Nervous Planet’. ‘The Humans’ reminded us what a great book club read this is – plenty of talking points giving more excuses to laugh and question life. We love this Wild Card choice, maybe one for you?

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- for people who love books -