The Humans - Matt Haig

 

It is something of an achievement to create a fiction that is both humorous and sagacious all in one. But that’s exactly what Matt Haig has achieved in The Humans. Amazon put this book in the “alien invasion“ genre which is something of a paradox since it suggests some kind of tactical aggression, which it isn’t really. We can chuckle as our hapless, nameless Vonnadorian  navigates his way in, what is for him, our mystifying planet where he must encounter and deal with all the nuances of humankind, and their cultures and their language and their conventions and their etiquette, and and and……….. easy to see how that is a recipe for some amusing moments. But it’s also a recipe for an objective and wise appraisal of where the human race might be going wrong, but let’s not be too negative, where they might be going right as well.

‘After an “incident“ one wet Friday night where he was found walking naked through the streets of Cambridge, Professor Andrew Martin is not feeling quite himself. Food sickens him. Clothes confound him. Even his loving wife and teenage son are repulsive to him. He feels lost amongst an alien species and hates everyone on the planet. Everyone, that is, except Newton (and he’s a dog). Who is he really? And what could make someone change their mind about the human race?’

And what follows is whether he changes his mind or not. I’m not about to divulge the plot because what happens is exactly what makes the novel so entertaining and so readable. And I should imagine it is one of the most perfect books for bookclubs to read and discuss. Towards the end of the book, one of the chapters is called “Advice for a human“ and is seven pages of 97 bullet point “wisdoms“ for humans. It swings a pendulum between profound wisdom and utter silliness. ‘ Be curious. Question everything. A present fact is just a future fiction.’ ‘ The Dark Ages never ended. (But don’t tell your mother.)’

I enjoyed all the characters. I thought they were very well drawn and realistic inasmuch as myself, a mere human, can appreciate an alien as realistic, since so far, I don’t believe I have met one. I wouldn’t swear to it but I don’t think so. I particularly enjoyed the depictions of Isobel and Gulliver, wife and son.  Some of the others were functional. The plot zigzags from a degree of authenticity to downright ridiculous but it does work. I suppose I found the ending a little rushed and only very slightly predictable. But it is a book that you can laugh and cry almost simultaneously, and it’s certainly very endearing and entertaining.

I read this as part of a Canongate Books readalong. I’ve read a couple of other Matt Haig books, but I think this is my favourite so far.