Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Humans by Matt Haig

19 reviews

hello_ned's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'm excited to see Matt Haig in Manchester soon, so I gave one of his older books a read. It really struck me how similar it is to The Life Impossible. Weirdly enough, I loved this book. Whereas the aforementioned one was a mid-level book for me.

The dislikes

• It did have a similar tone of self-help an advice, some of which were cheesy. But somehow, coming from an alien, it felt appropriate.
• I couldn’t believe
  he only spent like a year living away from his family.
  though appropriate, understandable, and a tear was shed, I did feel as though I was rushing through that part to get to the end.

The loves

• Probably one of the funniest books of his I've read. So much dead pan comedy that I just really enjoyed. Some of the humour reminded me of "The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" as it deals with the same themes. 
• I've always thought this is a very unique story idea. I could really see how much of himself Matt haig put into this book: the feeling that you are an alien making your way through the contradicting and insane human way of life. (Which I feel is relatable to everyone, especially those with mental health issues or are neurodivergen, like Matt Haig.)
• Very consistent and good pacing. Except for maybe 8 pages at the end, I enjoyed every bit of it, and it felt as though it really flowed.
• I had to sticky note a lot of this book. There are so many quotes I just love. 

Humans are one of the few intelligent beings in the galaxy who haven't quite solved the problem of death. And yet they don't spend their whole lives screeching and howling in terror, clawing at their own bodies, or rolling on the floor. Some humans do that- I saw them in the hospital - but those humans ate considered the mad ones. 

But what happened in heaven? What did you do there? After a while, didn't you crave flaws? 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Self harm

snickerdoodlesmile's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Self harm, Vomit, and Abandonment

cathem2's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

corallydeer's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was definitely an interesting read... I went in expecting sci-fi the way I'm used to it and left with what I considered more "philosophical sci-fi". It wasn't "bad", necessarily, but it was definitely different from what I'd normally read for fun and was a bit of a push to finish. I just never got into a good flow state with this book. I can see why others would enjoy it though! I'm still excited to read some of Haig's other books and I loved his writing style in particular.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail

Self Harm

(there are minor descriptions of SH but Andrew also deliberately injures himself in the last third of the book in a fairly gruesome way)

| Suicide Attempt

(Andrew's son, Gulliver, tries to kill himself twice)

| Murder & Death

(Andrew is sent on a mission to kill people and successfully does so twice, he also philosophically thinks about the human experience of death a lot)

| Sexual Content & Infidelity

(Andrew has sex with his wife a couple of times [though it's never described in much detail], he cheats on his wife once, and from the beginnings believes humans to have an obsession with sexual experiences and content)

| Cursing

(cursing at the level of run-of-the-mill UK citizens)

| Blood & Injury/Injury Detail

(minor depictions of blood and injury here and there that's never really explored in much detail)

carleesu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

kou_'s review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

georgie_mb's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

For someone who doesn’t really read sci-fi, this was just fab (tbh it’s Matt Haig, are we surprised 😂)

This took a while to get into while how narrator got used to Earth, and I’m not overly mad about that because that could have been on purpose. It was so great to see them adjust and learn to humans, and there were some really funny moments. Like all Haig’s books, however, it also broke my heart several times and showed beauty and wonder in times of sadness. 

I feel like I want to reread this, now that I know how this story is shaped, just to really dig deeper into Haig’s hidden messages.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

helhas3letters's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, and War

nimra64672's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Matt haig has a gift. His writing consumes me and the world building is like none other. Its amazing how such an alien concept makes me feel things so human. 
After reading this book, it's not impossible to believe that a person sat next to you could be an alien
Or that, while there is a galaxy out here, there is also universes within us

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Content Warnings

Minor: Self harm and Suicide

natrix's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt