A review by woodsybookworm
Hum: A Novel by Helen Phillips

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

In Hum, we follow May a mother who is feeling disconnected from her husband and children. After losing her job and slowly driving her family into debt with her shopping addiction (a coping mechanism for her depression), she signs herself up for a new medical trial that promises a hefty payoff for her participation. The catch? She'll permanently alter her features to make herself undetectable to surveillance cameras and the HUMs - the AI robots that make up the majority of this world's workforce (cashiers, security, etc). 

But May has big plans for the money coming her way - a trip for her family to the Botanical Garden. Inside a massive dome is an experience like no other with fresh air, real plants and animals, and a way to finally get her family to disconnect from technology in order to reconnect with each other. But will her plan go off without a hitch or will her desire to disconnect only push her family further away?

This was an odd read, even for me. It was incredibly slow and while there were elements to the story I found curious, this wasn't the sci-fi romp that I expected. It is much more a story of family dynamics and motherhood than the dystopian thriller I expected. While I don't mind a story centered on family issues, I just expected more sci-fi drama and suspense. 

This was truly a story of a mother feeling like she's losing her children as they grow older, as they seem to live life without needing her the way she's used to, while simultaneously drifting out of love with her husband - just kind of going through the motions. While the story didn't feel like it was for me, I'm sure there are folks out there who might find a better connection to it.