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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I love an alien that loves a dog named after a mathematician.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A predictable plot and ending. But I did like the style of writing and the humor in this book, which saved it. An alien is sent to eliminate a mathematician who has made a revolutionary discovery and is quite ahead of his time. Humans aren't supposed to get where he is at that point in the overall timeline. But the alien comes to Earth and sees it for the wonderful place it is yada yada.
Here are some cute quotes:
1. 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.
2. I was drinking a cup of tea. I actually enjoyed tea. It was so much better than coffee. It tasted like comfort. Isobel nodded. She too was drinking tea. The tea seemed to be making things better. It was a hot drink made of leaves, used in times of crisis as a means of restoring normality.
3. ‘Oh,’ I said, which I knew wasn’t in context. But I had nothing else to say. ‘Oh’ was always the word I resorted to, the one that filled empty spaces. It was verbal tea.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh my gosh this is such a great book! This is full of charm and wit, combined with a natural naivety that makes exploring what makes being human wonderful so interesting. I couldn't put this book down and I think this is a book that anybody could enjoy.
The amount of time Matt Haig must have spent on research and the planning process for this book must be insane. it's the type of book I would probably recommend to anyone, especially non-readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Murder