This Is How We Are Human- Louise Beech

"You have become me. This is how we are human. We learn from one another."

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Sebastian James Murphy is twenty years, six months and two days old. He loves swimming,  fried eggs and Billy Ocean. Sebastian is autistic. And lonely. 

Veronica wants her son Sebastian to be happy... she wants the world to accept him for who he is. She is also thinking about paying a professional to give him what he desperately wants.

Violetta is a high-class escort, who steps out into the night thinking only of money. Of her nursing degree. paying for her dad's care. Getting through the dark.

When these three lives collide- intertwine in unexpected ways- everything changes. For everyone.

A topical and moving drama about a mother's love for her son, about getting it wrong when we think we know what's best, about the lengths we go to care for family- to survive- This Is How We Are Human is a searching, rich and thought-provoking novel with an emotional core that will warm and break your heart.

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And break my heart, it did.

Hello! It's review time again and today I am sharing my thoughts on the brilliant This Is How We Are Human by Louise Beech.

I want to preface this by saying that this book far exceeded my expectations. Going into this, I was apprehensive about how Sebastian, a main character with ASD (autism spectrum disorder), would be presented, as having ASD myself, I've been let down countless times by the portrayal of ASD in books. Often, characters are made to be emotionally distant, intellectually challenged and socially awkward, with a key focus on a lack of empathy. Whilst the theory that people with ASD do lack empathy, this idea is still largely held in the media, with a character's autism often being made a key flaw of a story. 

This could not be further from the presentation of autism in This Is How We Are Human.

Not only has Louise crafted an autistic character with such brilliant depth, she has incorporated struggles that are often ignored in the larger discussion about ASD, and the challenges those with autism face so regularly. Whilst the media so often makes autism out to be something of a destructive nature, Louise presented it as raw, emotional and beautiful. This is definitely a sensitive topic, and also one with a need for 'own voices', but Louise worked closely with her friend and her son on this issue, resulting in a gorgeously authentic piece of work that fully highlights a topic that should be talked about more.

To make everything a thousand times better, the reflection of the effects of rape were real, heatwrenching and so well-done that I found myself forgetting to breathe at various points throughout the book. The questions Violetta is faced with before, during and after the incident were completely earth-shattering and I just want to say the biggest thank you to Louise, for her very real outlook on an issue that has such a strong victim-blaming culture.

I'm unsure as to which character my heart broke for more; a mother doing everything she can for her son, a woman going to extremes to keep herself and her father alive and a boy who just wants to be loved. Every word hurt me a little further, until I was crying on the bus at the end. With short chapters, loveable characters and a plot so enticing, This Is How We Are Human was a five star read for me, and it'll be one for you too. 

You know you want a copy ;P

-A Rat 🐀