A review by hello_ned
The Humans by Matt Haig

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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