REVIEW: The Humans (Matt Haig)

Book: The Humans

Author: Matt Haig

My rating: 4/5.

Premise: After an 'incident' one wet Friday night where he is 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?

OK I might be biased because I love anything by Matt Haig, but this was a good book. The story is about an alien who's taken the place of Prof Martin and he's slowly trying to understand humans. I love the appreciation of the little things in life - there's a good page dedicated to the alien discovering peanut butter! Because of this focus on small things, his characters feel real and relatable. They're just ordinary people doing ordinary things....well, as ordinary as you can be with an alien in the house! This is a story that could've been big and loud, but works so much better as it is, small and quiet. This is what I love about Matt Haig's books. He places value on small things and makes a big impact. Plus, it's uplifting and funny as well. Another good read!