Book Review: ‘The Humans’ by Matt Haig

WARNING: This story deals with issues of suicide.

I previously read and really enjoyed The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Haig has an engaging storytelling style and I was curious to try one of his earlier books: The Humans.

The novel centres on an alien who has taken the place of mathematician Professor Andrew Martin on the evening he answered the Riemann hypothesis. If it solution was revealed it would change the evolutionary progress of the human race. An interfering alien race don’t believe Earth is ready for this knowledge and dispatches their agent to eliminate anyone the real Andrew Martin told about his discovery. What follows is a philosophical and psychological analysis of humanity as the alien is, at first, disgusted by humans only to find himself slowly becoming fascinated with our way of life.

Every book needs a strong opening to get its readers hooked. The novel’s opening sentence: ‘I know that some of you reading this are convinced humans are a myth, but I am here to state that they do actually exist’, was immediately enticing and its tone set an expectation for the rest of the story. Straightaway I was hopeful that this was a book I would enjoy.

The first half The Humans starts strongly as we follow the alien struggling to pass as a regular person. We watch him be confounded by the concept of wearing clothes, have to fake conversations both with and about people he has never heard of, and be horrified by every type of food he encounters (to name just a few). The observations he makes and the multiple incorrect conclusions he arrives at are what makes this part of the story entertaining.

The tone of the novel shifts in the second half when the alien realises he has become captivated by humanity and all the experiences it provides. In this more serious half we see the alien counsel the real Andrew Martin’s son Gulliver after a suicide attempt and encourages Martin’s wife Isobel to pursue her dreams of writing and to focus on herself beyond her roles as a wife and mother.

Although I really liked The Humans I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I did The Midnight Library. Library’s plot is constantly shifting and adapting as its protagonist visits different realities. In contrast the plot of Humans evolves gradually as the alien’s outlook changes. Although this change in attitude felt natural, for me a downside of the book was that the story’s inciting incident (the alien adjusting to life on Earth) lost its magic as the story went on.

In what seems to be a trend in Haig’s novels, The Humans features a deep, heartfelt message at its core about the importance of being your own person, not being afraid of failure, and living your life as the best possible version of yourself. All of this is summed up at the novel’s conclusion in the alien’s letter to Gulliver which is filled with genuine sentiment and ultimately acts as Haig’s message to his readers.

If anyone is curious about The Humans like I was I would certainly recommend giving it a go. At around 300 pages the novel’s brief chapters make it a quick read. The tone of the book does quickly shift from comedic to heart-breaking to macabre so be prepared before you step onto this rollercoaster look at humanity.

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