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A review by aphrael
The Humans by Matt Haig
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Interesting premise but maybe not great execution. The narrator is an alien who is sent here to find some information/assassinate people, and appears in the guise of a human who was disappeared earlier. The writing is very vivid, and the alien's account is written as if it's towards other aliens. This means that a lot of the information about what the aliens are like is written in either memories or 'oh you're an alien I don't have to tell you we do x' while still telling us that because in real life the writer is a human writing for humans. That kind of exposition gets real old real fast. I would have loved a scene at the start in the alien world or true flashbacks or something, rather than this kind of exposition.
It's nice that the alien discovers emotions and compassion, but while the book is getting more relatable the further you get into it, the story still felt a bit distant to me. While the plot and the writing drew me in, I found it hard to keep interested and relate to the characters.
It's nice that the alien discovers emotions and compassion, but while the book is getting more relatable the further you get into it, the story still felt a bit distant to me. While the plot and the writing drew me in, I found it hard to keep interested and relate to the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt