The new novel from the author of The Radleys, the TV Book Club hit of 2011
Matt Haig is the author of five novels, including the bestselling The Last Family in England -which has been optioned by Brad Pitt's production company -and his latest, The Radleys, which was selected for Channel 4's TV Book Club and was voted the winner of the series in 2011. His works have been translated into over twenty languages, and he has also written award-winning books for children. He lives in York and London. www.matthaig.com Follow @matthaig1 on Twitter
The Humans is a laugh-and-cry book. Troubling, thrilling, puzzling,
believable and impossible. Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener.
We are the tin
*JEANETTE WINTERSON*
A brilliant exploration of what it is to love, and to be human, The
Humans is both heartwarming and hilarious, weird, and utterly
wonderful. One of the best books I've read in a very long time
*S J WATSON*
Utterly wonderful
*MARK BILLINGHAM*
The Humans is tremendous; a kind of Curious Incident meets The Man
Who Fell to Earth.
It's funny, touching and written in a highly appealing voice
*JOANNE HARRIS*
Matt Haig's hilarious novel puts our species on the spot
* * Guardian * *
A wonderfully funny, gripping and inventive novel. Like Kurt
Vonnegut and Audrey Niffenegger, Haig uses the tropes of science
fiction to explore and satirise concepts of free will, love,
marriage, logic, immortality and mercy with elegance and
poignancy
* * The Times * *
Extraordinary
* * The Independent * *
Excellent . . . very human and touching indeed
*PATRICK NESS*
Astute, drolly hilarious and occasionally beautiful, full of
poignant and painful insight into what it is to be human
* * The List * *
Haig strikes exactly the right tone of bemusement, discovery, and
wonder in creating what is ultimately a sweet-spirited celebration
of humanity and the trials and triumphs of being human. The result
is a thought-provoking, compulsively readable delight
* * Booklist * *
This is a book I can see myself returning to again and again. I
love it!
* * Curiosity Killed The Bookworm * *
The Humans is a romantic look at people, at what builds us and what
we have achieved. This can be seen in the wistful glances of poetry
and music. If you took out all of the narrative aspects, The Humans
could be seen as a collection of essays from a man pondering his
own existence. Thank you Matt, for this map you have drawn for me
and many others
* * Utter Biblio * *
My praise for this book is never-ending - I genuinely haven't loved
a book as much as I love this one, in a very long time - and I'm
sure that it will stay with me for a very long time to come. This
is a book that I think everyone - regardless of your preferred
genres - should pick up and read. It will have you laughing, give
you goosebumps, make you gasp, bring a tear to your eye, and warm
you from the inside out. This is, in my opinion, a perfect
masterpiece
* * Pen to Paper * *
THE HUMANS is the best thing I've read this year by a mile. It's
going straight on my list of books I wish I'd written
*GAVIN EXTENCE author of The Universe versus Alex Woods*
This is a tender, funny novel about the often irrational ways
humans behave, written in accessible prose, and invites comparison
with Mark Haddon and Patrick Ness
* * The Independent on Sunday * *
A novel with an enormous heart, infused with a sense of gratitude
for everything that makes us who we are
* * Daily Express * *
Haig's unexpectedly raw tale of love, belonging, and peanut
butter... It's funny, clever and quite, quite lovely
* * Sunday Times * *
It's hard to describe just how good The Humans is. It's a book that
has something for everybody. After all, it's about all of us. Funny
and life affirming, it's one of those rarest of books; a feel good
read that will stay with you long after reading. Read it, share it,
live it
* * Robin’s Books * *
Witty and insightful and brilliantly written in a way that makes it
easy to love
* * Liz Loves Books * *
The Humans is thoughtful, hopeful and honest and I loved every
page
* * So Little Time * *
Full of dark humour and dry one-liners, and (former broadsheet
journalist) Haig's unfussy style makes it an easy, enjoyable
read
* * The Forester * *
A delightful, refreshing, humorous book that will remind you to
treasure the joy in life
* * What Hannah Read * *
Great idea, great plot and superb comedy, especially from the
alien's puzzled analyses of primitive human ways
* * Daily Mail * *
In 1859, German mathematician Bernard Riemann put forth a hypothesis that prime numbers have a pattern. In 2012, an unnamed alien is sent to Earth to ensure the hypothesis is never proven. The Vonnadorians wish to prevent humans from gaining knowledge before they are psychologically prepared for the advancements that would ensue. The invader inhabits the body of Andrew Martin, the arrogant and selfish mathematician who discovered the proof to Riemann's hypothesis; at first disgusted and confused by his human shell, the alien is eventually transformed, and the more time he spends with Andrew's wife and son, the more he comes to doubt his mission. Haig (The Radleys) creates a delightful sense of displacement in "Andrew" and draws the reader into the experiences that make us human, ugly, wonderful, and mundane by turns. While at times the novel is sentimental, the wonder and humor with which the protagonist approaches life, and the many emotions and discoveries he experiences, are worth getting a bit weepy over. Agent: Andrea Joyce, Canongate. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Britain's Haig (The Radleys) makes his living at the intersection of speculative fiction, humor, and literary fiction. This time he brings readers the tale of an alien visitor from a collective society (think Star Trek's Borg) sent to Earth in the guise of Cambridge mathematician Andrew Martin, who has just made a breakthrough. His mission is to maintain the greater good by preventing the discovery from spreading and giving power to the violent and illogical human race, even if it means killing the mathematician's family. From the moment he arrives, naked and barely able to pass as human, the alien makes a funny fish out of water.and a better husband and father than the self-absorbed man he has replaced. What's he to do if he decides he can't kill them? VERDICT The protagonist's genuine joy in discovering the good things the unstable human race has produced-peanut butter, Emily Dickinson, Australian wine, the Beach Boys, dogs, and love, to name a few-is contagious. Readers of all stripes will find the results quick-paced, touching, and hilarious. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/13.]-Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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