The Humans
Delightful
Intelligent
Meaningful

The Humans A Novel

Matt Haig2013
The bestselling, award-winning author of The Radleys is back with his funniest, most devastating dark comedy yet, a “silly, sad, suspenseful, and soulful” (Philadelphia Inquirer) novel that’s “full of heart” (Entertainment Weekly). When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal. He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and a taste for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martin’s family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans’ imperfection, and begins to question the very mission that brought him there. Praised by The New York Times as a “novelist of great seriousness and talent,” author Matt Haig delivers an unlikely story about human nature and the joy found in the messiness of life on Earth. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable tale that playfully and movingly explores the ultimate subject—ourselves.
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Reviews

Photo of Joe
Joe@joe2267
4.5 stars
Aug 17, 2024

Loved it! Really makes you think about human existence...but in a fun way :)

Photo of Ellie Younger
Ellie Younger@ellierose2000
3.5 stars
Jul 6, 2024

made me see the beauty in humanity again

Photo of Hanna Rybchynska
Hanna Rybchynska@hannarbc
5 stars
May 3, 2024

Wow.. This book! Just blow my mind! It starts a little slow and a little ridiculous when an Alien is sent to earth as a math professor. His work is to eliminate everyone who knows about the professor's discovery: the meaning of life. The Hosts - alien's "bosses" - are convinced that humanity is not ready for this discovery and it's too soon for us to know the truth. In the beginning, Alien passes through a lot of obstacles - such as dealing with crazy people and the life of the professor. And most importantly, life as a human being. The best part about this book, it's the acknowledgment of how interesting, sad but beautiful our life is. How our feelings are weird and sometimes misunderstood. It's really a good book about the valorization of life and the people around us.

Photo of Julie Rubens
Julie Rubens@julierubens
5 stars
Feb 15, 2024

I loved this book! I’ve always wanted to read a book like this questioning if humans are good or bad etc. The book was really well written and I absolutely loved the storyline! Especially the first part of the book was also just really funny and the last half was just beautiful and sweet. It was so well thought of and I love the characters! Also, I really liked his love for Emily Dickinson.

Photo of Syahla Aurel
Syahla Aurel@owhrel
5 stars
Jan 10, 2024

I think Matt Haig will be my next favorite author. I liked the way he wrote the story from the alien perspective and still managed to be funny and deep at the same time. I didn't expect there would be a lot of math references (my worst subject), but it was still easy to understand, lol. I recommend this book if you want a heartwarming story that will make you laugh.

Photo of Mia Caven
Mia Caven@miacaven
5 stars
Oct 10, 2023

ah. Matt Haig. Matt Haig does it once again. An insanely incredible book. It is a beautiful simple story of such deep meaning. Matt Haig is an insanely good writer and these stories are the most heart warming, cleverly written stories. Another win for Haig.

Photo of Alan
Alan@alancph
2 stars
Aug 18, 2023

Very heavy handed on its views, despite it not saying much new. And plot felt like a rerun of what I've read before.

Photo of Bilge Ince
Bilge Ince@bilge
5 stars
Jun 24, 2023

You don’t have to be an academic. You don’t have to be anything. Don’t force it. Feel your way, and don’t stop feeling your way until something fits. Maybe nothing will. Maybe you are a road, not a destination. That is fine. Be a road. But make sure it’s one with something to look at out of the window. I believe this is the best book I have read from Matt Haig. His quirky and witty mind came with an alien in observer mode on the Earth. And his observations were not only the pure truth but also humorous and emotional. I felt sadness and joy at the same time while I was reading. And also felt that nothing is important, yet everything is important.

Photo of Isabella
Isabella@isabellareads
3.5 stars
May 17, 2023

good read

Photo of Matt Litwin
Matt Litwin@mattlitwin
1.5 stars
May 3, 2023

It’s a poor imitation for a Kurt Vonnegut book, trying to balance the dark cynicism of an aliens view of humanity with the lighthearted “‘the real meaning of life is the friends we made along the way”

Photo of Lisa de Groot
Lisa de Groot@lisaa
3 stars
Mar 12, 2023

Soort van open einde :(

+3
Photo of menna
menna@midnightcoffee
4 stars
Jan 31, 2023

this was really fun to read

Photo of Midori Kobayashi
Midori Kobayashi@snortingpages
5 stars
Jan 22, 2023

5/5stars Humans, as a rule, don't like mad people unless they are good at painting, and only then once they are dead. But the definition of mad, on Earth, seems to be very unclear and inconsistent. What is perfectly sane in one era turns out to be insane in another. The earliest humans walked around naked with no problem. Certain humans, in humid rainforests mainly, still do so. So, we must conclude that madness is sometimes a question of time, and sometimes of postcode. Basically, the key rule is, if you want to appear sane on Earth you have to be in the right place, wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and only stepping on the right kind of grass This was such an interesting, enjoyable, funny read, I'm mad at myself for not picking it up earlier. And when I say funny I mean, I literally laugh out loud, burst into fits of laughter at every second page of it and it's so freaking hilarious I just cannot stop laughing kind of funny. Tho the second half of the book tends to get more serious and philosophical, it still had it's fair share of humour. Make sure, as often as possible, you are doing something you’d be happy to die doing. For those of you who don't know this is a story about humans, from the perspective of an alien who has come on this planet for a mission. He doesn't know anything about the ways of humans and so he learns things the hard way and the story goes on from there. If you think something is ugly, look harder. Ugliness is just a failure of seeing. Before someone points it out, lemme just come right out and say it, the plot is somewhat absurd and pointless, but hey we're here for the alien's interpretation of the human world and lifestyle, and maybe for the dog, nothing else. That aside, this book is a must must read. To be a human is to state the obvious. Repeatedly. Over and over, until the end of time. Oh and the end, the "list"- THAT WAS SO GOOD, CHERRY ON THE CAKE, LOVED IT SO MUCH. I am most certainly going to get my dog cover copy of it and annotate the hell out of it. Matt Haig is definitely on the way to become my new fav author after this and The Midnight Library, both of them being 5star favourites of this year! To experience beauty on Earth, you needed to experience pain and to know mortality. That is why so much that is beautiful on this planet has to do with time passing and the Earth turning. Which might also explain why to look at such natural beauty was to also feel sadness and a craving for a life unlived. CWs for the book: Suicide, Depression, Anxiety, Mind/Body control, Murder, Death, Infidelity.

Photo of samantha
samantha@samsmhhh
4.5 stars
Jan 11, 2023

I actually thoroughly enjoyed this one! Wasn’t expecting much, and perhaps that played into its perceived grandeur, but it turned out to be quite the page-turner. I read pages 121-278 in the same sitting.

I’d been falling away from my normally romantic outlook on life and humanity. Every day felt duller than the last. This book reminded me of life’s simple joys, its contrasting dualities, and the complexities of human nature that all make this worldly experience worthwhile. It feels like life has color again.

I could go on about the depth and layering and poetic devices and all the things I loved that made its reading so engaging, but instead I’ll just say this: it’s worth the read.

+11
Photo of Esslam Ben Ramadan
Esslam Ben Ramadan@esslamben
4 stars
Aug 31, 2022

I think the general idea with this book is to go into it without any expectations and give it a little time. There are some gems in here and some sage advise that are shared as part of the story but can be used as guidelines for all aspects of life.

Photo of Jayme Bosio
Jayme Bosio@jaymeb
5 stars
Aug 24, 2022

This book was beautiful and funny and romantic and sad. I absolutely loved it. Damn you, Sara!

Photo of Dave Perkins
Dave Perkins@tallyhoooooo
5 stars
Aug 16, 2022

I just love this guy. Such a beautiful reflection on humanity.

Photo of Sian Wadey
Sian Wadey@sianwadeykerr
3 stars
Aug 12, 2022

** spoiler alert ** This was a slow starter for me, but once I got into it I must have devoured it in about two days. The premise it quite unusual, an alien is sent to Earth to inhabit the body of Andrew Martin in order to prevent the leak of his ground breaking prime number theory. I must admit, the majority of the maths stuff went over my head, but that's fine, maths doesn't interest me greatly but I gather that it's important. What I did enjoy was the alien trying to assimilate to human life, learning about clothes and social etiquette and realising that there is more to the language than spoken word. This book essentially sums up what it is like to be human, the things we enjoy, the actions we take to enjoy, being loved, being taken care of, belonging. All of those things that we take for granted as every day flies past. It also puts into perspective how short life is. 30,000 days is all we have to make our stamp on the world. The reason it isn't five stars is because for me it took too long to get to the interesting bits. We spent a great deal of time 'faffing' and yes, that is a technical term. Also, the alien went from 'I must kill these people' to 'I want to be part of this family' a little too quickly for me. I feel like there needed to be more internal conflict. And finally, as great as this book is at highlighting the wonderfulness of humans, by the end it did feel a little preachy. Although I will take some things from this novel, such as the greatness of peanut butter sandwiches and white wine. At the end Haig said he was working on a script for a film which I think will be really interesting.

Photo of Oana Munteanu
Oana Munteanu@oanaom
5 stars
Jun 20, 2022

I just love how the author describe, in a humor and realistic, the beauties and flaws of the humans. The ending of the story gave me goosebumps.

Photo of Fraser Simons
Fraser Simons@frasersimons
2 stars
Jun 9, 2022

Like all of Haig’s works, it’s an interesting premise with a conceit that slowly turns into a wildly prescriptive and contrived manner of regurgitating self-help aphorisms. There is literally a section near the end that is just a list of these. Far too artificial and sickly sweet and prescriptive for my tastes. I’m completely done with Haig after this. Writing for a different person than me.

Photo of Harley
Harley@aehlry
4.5 stars
Jun 3, 2022

This was a wonderful book to read, it was light, easy and surprisingly funny. The story is of an alien who inhabits earth and is written in such a way that you can't help but smile or laugh at the unfolding events the alien[human] Andrew Martin takes us on. Matt Haig was able to shed light on what it means to be human, the good and the bad, in a way that doesn't leave you in despair but certainly does open your mind. We all know what it means to be human; so reading about an alien discovering what it means to be just that is somewhat heart-warming, and enlightening.

+8
Photo of Barbara Williford
Barbara Williford@barbarawilliford
4 stars
May 7, 2022

Andrew Martin’s body is inhabited by an alien from another world. This alien has an interesting perspective of humans and is here to destroy important mathematical findings that could advance the human race way before they are ready to handle this intelligence. While living as Martin, his perspective and life is forever changed. Humorous and profound.

Photo of Cindy Lieberman
Cindy Lieberman@chicindy
5 stars
Mar 26, 2022

# 37. Don’t always try to be cool. The whole universe is cool. It’s the warm bits that matter. Humans by Matt Haig is a warm and funny novel about an alien sent to Earth to prevent our species from solving a great mathematical puzzle that would lead to interstellar flight etc. In other words, his assignment is to make sure we stay put in our quiet and sleepy corner of the galaxy. The alien has the usual (humorous) troubles understanding things like clothes and learning our language from an issue of Cosmopolitan. It’s not a unique story, but it is engaging and well done. I was going to give it a solid 4 except for this item in a list of things he has learned on Earth: # 86. To like something is to insult it. Love it or hate it. Be passionate! As civilization advances so does indifference. It is a disease. Immunize yourself with art and love.

Photo of Raquel Silva
Raquel Silva@raquelsilva
5 stars
Mar 20, 2022

4.5 ⭐️

Highlights

Photo of sam kruczek
sam kruczek@samk

Love is what the humans are all about but they don't understand it. If they understood it, then it would disappear.

Page 187
Photo of sam kruczek
sam kruczek@samk

but the humans still spent half their time in đeep shadow. This, I was sure, was one of the chief reasons tor personal and sexual, relationships here. The need to find comfort in the dark. And it was a comfort, being next to her. So I just stayed there, hearing her breath…

Page 126
Photo of sam kruczek
sam kruczek@samk

"Well, maybe we should not try to understand so much, and accept some more.

Page 125
Photo of Anda
Anda@iheartanda

Don't ever be afraid of telling someone you love them. There are things wrong with your world, but an excess of love is not one.

Photo of Anda
Anda@iheartanda

Knowledge is finite. Wonder is infinite.

Photo of Anda
Anda@iheartanda

If getting drunk was how people forgot they were mortal, then hangovers were how they remembered.

Photo of Anda
Anda@iheartanda

Make sure, as often as possible, you are doing something you’d be happy to die doing.

Photo of Anda
Anda@iheartanda

To experience beauty on earth you need to experience pain and to know mortality.

Page 283
Photo of Anda
Anda@iheartanda

She said being human is being a young child on Christmas Day who receives an absolutely magnificent castle. And there is a perfect photograph of this castle on the box and you want more than anything to play with the castle and the knights and the princesses because it looks like such a perfectly human world, but the only problem is that the castle isn’t built. It’s in tiny intricate pieces, and although there’s a book of instructions you don’t understand it. And nor can your parents or Aunt Sylvie. So you are just left, crying at the ideal castle on the box which no one would ever be able to build.

Page 231
Photo of Harley
Harley@aehlry

'So love is about finding the right person to hurt you?' 'Pretty much.' 'That doesn't make much sense.' '"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness"'

Page 42
Photo of Harley
Harley@aehlry

Basically, the key rule is, if you want to appear sane on earth you have to be in the right place, wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and only stepping on the right kind of grass.

Page 32
Photo of Harley
Harley@aehlry

To experience beauty on earth you needed to experience pain and to know mortality.

Page 283
Photo of Harley
Harley@aehlry

This was later I realised a planet of things wrapped inside things. Food inside wrappers. Bodies inside clothes. Contempt inside smiles. Everything was hidden away.

Page 13
Photo of Becca
Becca@accordingtobecs

"Oh," I said, realizing it was right I had been sent here. The humans were as weird as I had been told, and as in love with violence. "So love is about finding the right person to hurt you?"

Page 41