The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable novel about alien abduction, mathematics, and that most interesting subject of all: ourselves. Combine Douglas Adams’s irreverent take on life, the universe, and everything with a genuinely moving love story, and you have some idea of the humor, originality, and poignancy of Matt Haig’s latest novel.

The narrator went into a bookstore and saw a book by Isobel Martin, Andrew’s wife, briefly reading it. He tried to reach Andrew’s office but was caught by the police and was taken to the station. The narrator had a voiceless "briefing" telling him that he must comply with everything now, that he had a mission to fulfill, and that being afraid among humans was understandable. The narrator was made to put on clothes, at which he mused upon the importance and value of clothes among the human race. He realized that he had been arrested simply for not wearing clothes which surprised him. The policemen started questioning him and called in a psychiatrist when the narrator gave strange answers. The psychiatrist questioned him and admitted him to a psychiatric institution. The narrator met his (Andrew’s) wife for the first time who was very concerned about him and then she went home after they spoke for a while. The narrator thinks about kissing: “Like so many human things, it made no sense. Or maybe, if you tried it, the logic would unfold.” What does this say about the role of the emotional, the inexplicable, or the ineffable in human behavior? What about the relationship between emotional behavior and logical behavior? The way that the narrator chooses to live his life as a human says a lot about what he values about humanity. What lessons do you take from his attitude toward his finite amount of time on Earth? A brilliant exploration of what it is to love, and to be human, The Humans is both heartwarming and hilarious, weird, and utterly wonderful. One of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. S J WatsonYes, I loved this book and I am a better person for it. A beautiful book that made me cry. At times I feared it would become predictable, but there was just enough variance and certainly more than enough genius. A wonderful range of emotions. The prose was both beautiful and simple. How many times have we all wondered, "What would an alien think if they came to Earth and experienced this?" Well, this book provides an illuminating answer.

You shouldn’t have been born. Your existence is as close to impossible as can be. To dismiss the impossible is to dismiss yourself.From the alien’s naked (but unembarrassed) entry to our planet right through to the end, where he understands us better than we understand ourselves, this warm-hearted novel never misses a beat. Scotland on Sunday I can see why someone would be put in a mental health institution if someone behaved like the alien was, but I thought it was pretty much ignored (could have done more with it) - it rang false to me but it may be a cultural thing. On the mathematics side, many years ago I did a few university distance learning maths (English) units, including one on the history of mathematics. I was surprised at how many of the early philosophers were also leading mathematicians. This book reminded me of the idea that mathematics is the basis of everything (after all, according to The Hitchhikers Guide number 42 is the answer to everything). The humans are an arrogant species, defined by violence and greed. They have taken their home planet, the only one they have access to, and placed it on the road to destruction. They have created a world of divisions and categories and have continually failed to see the similarities between themselves. They have developed technology at a rate too fast for human psychology to keep up with, and yet they still pursue advancement for advancement's sake, and for the pursuit of money and fame they all crave so much."

There are a lot of idiots in your species. Lots and lots. You are not one of them. Hold your ground. To Be A Cat (Atheneum, New York, 2013) illustrated by Stacy Curtis LCCN 2012-28520 ISBN 9781442454057 You are not the only species on Earth with technology. Look at ants. Really. Look. What they do with twigs and leaves is quite amazing.Haig's unexpectedly raw tale of love, belonging, and peanut butter . . . Funny, clever and quite, quite lovely" (Sam Baker Sunday Times) As of 2015 [update], Haig is married to Andrea Semple, and they lived in Brighton, Sussex, with their two children and a dog. [4] [16] The children were homeschooled. [17] The Humans is a laugh-and-cry book. Troubling, thrilling, puzzling, believable and impossible. Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin" (JEANETTE WINTERSON) The Humans" is the story of an alien who is sent to Earth to eliminate all traces of the newly found proof of the Reimann hypothesis, which is said to be too powerful and dangerous knowledge for an immature species as us. The alien possesses the mathematician who proves the hypothesis, a professor at a prestigious university, who is also having a lot of family problems. Good premise, but you can see where it is heading.