“The Humans” by Matt Haig is a delightful book that follows an alien visitor sent to Earth to kill Andrew Martin, a Cambridge professor that has unlocked the secrets of prime numbers. This discovery will put the kibosh on death and illness and give humankind a technological leap to include star travel. The not so benevolent aliens believe the history of violence in our society makes us unable to cope with the responsibility that would come with this newfound scientific prowess.
When the novel begins they have already done the deed–Martin is dead and replaced by an alien clone of Professor Martin–the aliens don’t want just to kill Andrew, they want to take out everyone that knows any details of the discovery. The Vonnadorians, the aliens policing our backwater planet, are not messing around.
This novel is hilarious and follows the professor as he adapts to life on Earth so he can accomplish his mission. Terminator style, he arrives naked and with no language skills. This leads to his immediate arrest and a quick visit to a mental ward. The clone is a master of quickly learning new languages and learns English by reading a few back issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine, and through interacting with earthlings.
Clone Andrew fools his wife and teenage son who see his quirky new behavior as a result of the mental breakdown that landed him in the hospital. They notice discrepancies, but they are all for the better. In his attempt to acclimate to the human condition he does “strange” stuff around the house such as putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher after eating. In effect, they accept him because the real Andrew Martin was a total jerk and a bad father. Papa 2.0 is an understanding person who is a gentle and loving father.
As the book continues Andrew grows attached to his host family and finds he cannot kill them. He comes to appreciate nature, wine, love, and even peanut butter. It’s this emotional bonding between alien and host family where this novel shines, especially the relationship with his son that anyone with a teenager will cherish. The only negative for this book is the repetition of the clone telling the reader he is an alien and everything he experiences on Earth is new. That point was made crystal at the beginning, and the reader did not need constant reminders.
Subtracting that one small negative I mentioned, “The Humans” is a beautiful novel that explores just what it means to be human, the short life span, the beauty and strength of love, poetry, wine, and of course, peanut butter — a heartwarming look at ourselves from an alien perspective.