This inspiring novel by Matt Haig follows an alien disguised as a mathematician who, before he was killed and replaced, had cracked the code behind prime numbers in an amazing discovery that would have lead to humans travelling in space.
This alien knows nothing of humans but that they are ‘dangerous’ and ‘violent’ like animals. His views are changed drastically by his new life amongst the humans, however, as he discovers love, affection, music and poetry. He lives with the mathematician’s wife and son (they don’t know he is an alien) trying to find out what they and the professor’s acquaintances know of the solved equation of prime numbers.
Whilst living with his new family, the alien finds out what it truly means to be human and how life, even though it is short, if full of meaning and purpose whether it be a global or personal significance.
My Review
My Rating: 5/5
Mat Haig’s novel is funny and beautifully written, making you laugh and think at the same time about our lives and roles as human beings.
