The Humans by Matt Haig

The Humans

Matt Haig

Though initially unsure about what seemed to be a cold, slightly humorous science fiction story I quickly found myself engrossed! Don’t be fooled by the alien aspects. This is a story about love, about what it means to be human, and what life is really all about. Funny, sweet and utterly compelling - one of the best books I’ve read all year!

Extract
A cow is an Earth-dwelling animal, a domesticated and multi-purpose ungulate, which humans treat as a one-stop shop for food, liquid refreshment, fertiliser and designer footwear. The humans farm from it and cut its throat and then cut it up and package it and refrigerate it and sell it and cook it. By doing this, apparently they have earned the right to change its name to beef, which is the monosyllable furthest away from cow, because the last thing a human wants to think about when eating cow is an actual cow.
Parallels
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
  • E.T. - the film