THE HUMANS
out now in UK and in USA

This is the book I am most proud of. I have never written anything like it and probably never will again. I have no idea if you will like it. I really hope you do. I am a nervous wreck about this one. I don’t really know why. Well, I do. Because it is personal. I put absolutely everything I had into it so if people don’t like it then they don’t like me, because all the best things I have to offer the world are inside its pages. I don’t want to tell you it is a book that features an alien in it, because you might not like books with aliens in it, and I don’t really. It is a love story and a murder story and a what-are-we-here-for? story. It is about humans. That is why I came up with the title. The Humans. See?

Read an extract here

The movie rights have gone to Tanya Seghatchian (Harry Potter, My Summer of Love producer) at Apocalypto and I’m currently writing the screenplay.

INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS

I am very pleased to say the book will be published in:

America by Simon & Schuster (out July 2nd 2013)

Canada by Harper Collins (out July 2nd 2013)

Germany by DTV

Germany audio book by Der Hörverlag

Spain by Roc

Italy by Einaudi Stile Libero

France by Helium Editions

Turkey by Kolektif

Russia by Sindbad

Taiwan by ANA

Catalan by Empuries

REVIEWS

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

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 Watson

Utterly wonderful. Mark Billingham

The Humans is tremendous; a kind of Curious Incident meets The Man Who Fell to Earth. It’s funny, touching and written in a highly appealing voice. Joanne Harris
Matt Haig’s hilarious novel puts our species on the spot. Guardian

Haig strikes exactly the right tone of bemusement, discovery, and wonder in creating what is ultimately a sweet-spirited celebration of humanity and the trials and triumphs of being human. The result is a thought-provoking, compulsively readable delight. Starred Review, Booklist 

A wonderfully funny, gripping and inventive novel. Like Kurt Vonnegut and Audrey Niffenegger, Haig uses the tropes of science fiction to explore and satirise concepts of free will, love, marriage, logic, immortality and mercy with elegance and poignancy. The Times

Extraordinary The Independent

Excellent . . . very human and touching indeed. Patrick Ness

Haig’s unexpectedly raw tale of love, belonging, and peanut butter… It’s funny, clever and quite, quite lovely. Sam Baker, The Sunday Times

Astute, drolly hilarious and occasionally beautiful, full of poignant and painful insight into what it is to be human. Jay Richardson The List

May this book remain in our libraries as a stark warning on the frailty and art of being human. Edelweiss

This is a tender, funny novel about the often irrational ways humans behave, written in accessible prose, and invites comparison with Mark Haddon and Patrick Ness. The Independent on Sunday

 A novel with an enormous heart, infused with a sense of gratitude for everything that makes us who we are. The Daily Express

Haig strikes exactly the right tone of bemusement, discovery, and wonder in creating what is ultimately a sweet-spirited celebration of humanity and the trials and triumphs of being human. The result is a thought-provoking, compulsively readable delight. Booklist

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

The Humans is one of those rare books that makes your heart swell and your eyes tear up as Haig reintroduces us to the human race, with its social quirks, hidden meanings and, of course, peanut butter sandwiches. Stylist

The alien’s inability to conform to society’s conventions leads to some hilariously chaotic scenes. SFX magazine 

Haig’s latest novel, The Humans, is a simple yet moving story that will have you weeping at the beauty and futility of it all. Catching the Comet’s Tail, The Huffington Post

This is a book I can see myself returning to again and again. I love it! Curiosity Killed The Bookworm

It’s hard to describe just how good The Humans is. It’s a book that has something for everybody. After all, it’s about all of us. Funny and life affirming, it’s one of those rarest of books; a feel good read that will stay with you long after reading. Read it, share it, live it. Robin’s Books

Witty and insightful and brilliantly written in a way that makes it easy to love. Liz Loves Books

The Humans is a romantic look at people, at what builds us and what we have achieved. This can be seen in the wistful glances of poetry and music. If you took out all of the narrative aspects, The Humans could be seen as a collection of essays from a man pondering his own existence. Thank you Matt, for this map you have drawn for me and many others. Utter Biblio

The Humans is full of such lovely, grandiose statements about humankind. Matt Haig is not afraid of a sweeping generalisation any more than he is afraid of peculiar specifics… But this bravado is what makes the book work. If it had been written by a less mature, less confident writer it could have been a disaster. Thankfully, it’s not a disaster – it is a finely-tuned balancing act of humour and sincerity. Writers’ Hub

My praise for this book is never-ending – I genuinely haven’t loved a book as much as I love this one, in a very long time – and I’m sure that it will stay with me for a very long time to come. This is a book that I think everyone – regardless of your preferred genres – should pick up and read. It will have you laughing, give you goosebumps, make you gasp, bring a tear to your eye, and warm you from the inside out. This is, in my opinion, a perfect masterpiece. Pen to Paper