You know the idea that when you step out of the environment you’ve always lived in and look back you can see things you haven’t noticed before? One of the effects on me when leaving the USA to live overseas was the ability to observe things that I was oblivious to while living there.
This novel takes that premise to the next extreme, following an alien’s visit to Earth to observe (and interfere) with local life. By being an outsider the narrator can comment on things that we humans may take for granted.
The story is Britishly clever, and throughout there are nuggets of learned wisdom and plenty of advice – some given explicitly (and ever-so-slightly preachy) and some offered indirectly (which may be easier to swallow for some).
My criticism for this was only in the startlingly quick conversion of the alien narrator – he seemed to see the humanity of humans in a remarkably short time. But realism is not the goal here, and if you can set that aside you’ll find the book enjoyable and a well-needed poke at humanity.
Next I am reading The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson.
