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UnCovered Review by Collette Jones, Branch Manager, ACLS Egg Harbor City Branch
Helen Phillips’ HUM is a gripping near-future dystopia that explores the complexities of technology, family, and the human condition. Set in a world overrun by intelligent robots called “hums,” the novel delves into the consequences of unchecked technological advancement and its impact on society. The story follows May, a mother struggling to maintain a semblance of normality in a rapidly changing world. As AI encroaches on human jobs, May finds herself unemployed and desperate to provide for her family, which leads her to participate in a radical experiment that could alter her life forever. Phillips’ writing is both lyrical and evocative, painting a vivid picture of a society teetering on the brink of collapse. The novel’s themes of identity, surveillance, and the blurring lines between human and machine are explored with depth and nuance.
While HUM is a thought-provoking exploration of the dangers of technology, it also offers a glimmer of hope. The novel’s characters are complex and relatable, making their struggles and triumphs all the more poignant. If you enjoy dystopian fiction that challenges your thinking and offers a compelling commentary on the human condition, HUM is highly recommended.
Helen Phillips is the author of five critically-acclaimed previous books which have received numerous awards. Most recently, the adult novel THE NEED was long-listed for the National Book Award. The 2017 story collection SOME POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS received the John Gardner Fiction Book Award and her first collection, AND YET THEY WERE HAPPY, was named a Notable Book by the Story Prize. An earlier novel, THE BEAUTIFUL BUREAUCRAT, was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2015 and was a finalist for both the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. She has also penned a children’s adventure novel, HERE WHERE THE SUNBEAMS ARE GREEN. Phillips has received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award and the Italo Calvino Prize, among others. She is an associate professor at Brooklyn College.
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