The Humans by Matt Haig

What’s interesting about this detail in the story is that this is normally how depression goes unnoticed. Many don’t realise how alienated a depressed person feels from family and friends, from life itself. Animals, on the other hand, have a penchant for picking up on human emotions and offering comfort before we, humans, can even realise something is off.

Initially, the alien-Andrew attempts to be a human without really giving in to human emotions. But what unfolds in the process is an improved version of Andrew, one who cares for his wife and teenage son. The alien who strongly believed that humans are not worthy of living gradually grows to love his human family and even goes to extreme lengths to protect them. The real Professor Martin might be no more, but the alien version gradually grows into a new and loving Professor Andrew Martin. This, too, is reminiscent of a person who has managed to bounce back from severe depression, someone who values and cares for loved ones—and others—more than ever before.

What makes The Humans especially powerful is how it invites readers to look at themselves from an outsider’s perspective. Haig holds up a mirror to society, its flaws, yes, but also its beauty. The alien’s discovery of poetry, music, forgiveness, and love serves as a reminder of what truly matters. These experiences, which often go unnoticed or are taken for granted, gain new significance when seen through fresh eyes.

Throughout the story, the author’s thoughts resound in the alien’s observations on humans, making for sharp truths. Having undergone a major depressive phase himself, Haig has captured the pain of the condition intimately, even as he personifies it as an alien. And he does so with a sense of wry humour. Take this for instance: “Humans (…) don’t like mad people unless they are good at painting, and only then once they are dead.” The dark times from the author’s life reflect in the observations the Vonnadorian narrator makes in the story. However, as the story progresses, the alien observes and adores all the innate goodness mankind embodies. So, The Humans is both a gentle satire of the often irrational behaviour of humans and a heartfelt appreciation of their loving and caring nature.