Book #78 of 2022:The Humans by Matt HaigThis 2013 novel is one part a Douglas Adams-esque assortment
Book #78 of 2022:The Humans by Matt HaigThis 2013 novel is one part a Douglas Adams-esque assortment of absurdist reflections on humanity, and one part a K-PAX plot of someone who looks like a regular human claiming to actually be an alien, to everyone’s reasonable disbelief. Yet whereas that latter title — which is namechecked here, so I’d say the homage is intentional — follows a psychiatric doctor worried his patient has concocted a delusion to suppress a trauma, this tale is rooted in the extraterrestrial’s perspective instead. We’re also plainly meant to accept that protagonist’s claims as genuine, since people do witness his powers and another member of his species at one point.In truth, I think the story might have been stronger if it had held back on that last front, maintaining an ambiguity over whether the math professor had honestly been replaced by an off-world doppelgänger looking to erase all traces of his supposedly dangerous research or if this stranger confused by earth’s customs and how to relate to its inhabitants were just that same man experiencing a breakdown from stress. (That’s partly because such a reading is always going to be my preference in this kind of thing, and I know author Matt Haig manages that unresolved tension neatly in his later work The Midnight Library, but I do feel there’s good textual evidence for it here that’s ultimately squashed.)Nevertheless, this is a fun and surprisingly moving affair overall, with a murderously problematic fave who’s sweet in his gradually-strengthening efforts to connect with the population around him. Although the writer is clearly still learning his craft, I’ve enjoyed this quite a lot.[Content warning for attempted suicide.]★★★★☆Like this review?–Throw me a quick one-time donation here!https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke–Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!https://patreon.com/lesserjoke–Follow along on Goodreads here!https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler–Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!https://lesserjoke.home.blog -- source link
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