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Synopsis
The bestselling, award-winning author of The Midnight Library offers his funniest, most devastating dark comedy yet, a “silly, sad, suspenseful, and soulful” ( Philadelphia Inquirer ) novel that’s “full of heart” ( Entertainment Weekly ). When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal. He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and a taste for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martin’s family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans’ imperfection, and begins to question the very mission that brought him there. Praised by The New York Times as a “novelist of great seriousness and talent,” author Matt Haig delivers an unlikely story about human nature and the joy found in the messiness of life on Earth. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable tale that playfully and movingly explores the ultimate subject—ourselves.
Tags
Is The Humans: A Novel appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
This philosophical sci-fi comedy contains references to murder and the alien's 'gruesome task,' though details are not explicit. The story explores mature themes about humanity, mortality, and family through a comedic lens with emotional depth.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include murder and death.
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Teens will enjoy the funny fish-out-of-water story of an alien learning to appreciate human quirks like peanut butter and rock music while questioning his dark mission.