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Hum
Hum | Helen Phillips
10 posts | 11 read | 7 to read
From the National Book Awardlonglisted author of The Need comes an extraordinary novel about a wife and mother whoafter losing her job to AIundergoes a procedure that renders her undetectable to surveillancebut at what cost? In a city addled by climate change and populated by intelligent robots called hums, May loses her job to artificial intelligence. In a desperate bid to resolve her familys debt and secure their future for another few months, she becomes a guinea pig in an experiment that alters her face so it cannot be recognized by surveillance cams. Seeking some reprieve from her recent hardships and from her familys addiction to their devices, she splurges on passes that allow them three nights respite inside the Botanical Garden: a rare green refuge where forests, streams, and animals flourish. But her insistence that her son, daughter, and husband leave their devices at home proves far more fraught than she anticipated, and the lush beauty of the Botanical Gardens is not the balm she hoped it would be. When her children come under threat, May is forced to put her trust in a hum of uncertain motives as she works to restore the life of her family. Written in taut, urgent prose, Hum is a work of speculative fiction that unflinchingly explores marriage, motherhood, and selfhood in a world compromised by global warming and dizzying technological advancement, a world of both dystopian and utopian possibilities. As New York Times bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer says, Helen Phillips, in typical bravura fashion, has found a way to make visible uncomfortable truths about our present by interrogating the near-future.
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Chelsea.Poole
Hum | Helen Phillips
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#ToBWaiting 🐓
These could make an appearance on the Tournament of Books?? I chose from titles I haven‘t read yet.
Looking forward to the list!

BarbaraBB I really want to read Playground! The Most is very good, I read that one already. As for the others, I am taking notes and will check them out. I expect my the to explode again! 3w
sarahbarnes Great list! I‘m really curious about Clean and The Most, too. 3w
BkClubCare Gosh, so many I haven‘t heard of — which isn‘t remarkable since I don‘t typically seek out the Booker list or others. I always feel so out of it, to be honest! Thank you for sharing so I can start putting these all on hold! 😄 3w
See All 8 Comments
Cathythoughts Clean and The Most sound interesting! 3w
squirrelbrain Never even heard of Clean and Hum, but they sound great…. Onto my list they go! 3w
Bookwormjillk I haven't heard of any of these, but I love the covers. I'll have to see if my library has them. 3w
Ruthiella Super curious about Long Island Compromise. I found Fleichman‘s In Trouble challenging in a good way. 3w
Megabooks Clean is from my favorite publisher, and I have to get to it! Hum is one I still think about. Playground and Most, too. Really great choices! 3w
54 likes8 comments
review
DavidDiamond
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Pickpick

With short, compact chapters, Helen Phillips constructs a world in the not too distant future where the ecosystem is collapsing&consumerism is rampant. AI robots called Hums advertise products to humans while also serving an unseen government.We meet unemployed May, who undergoes a face-altering surgery that will pay her enough to take her family to a Garden of Eden-style vacation.
A quick&tense read w/ an abrupt ending that I'm not sure I loved.

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EmberIvyRose
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Pickpick

Set in the near future, people co-exist with AI bots in a very different world. A mother is being investigated for neglect of her children, after surveillance footage goes viral of a parenting mistake. This book also explores the crazy hold that technology has on society, where we are the product and the consumer. The scary thing is, that I can see many of the things in this book actually happening in my lifetime.

52 likes1 stack add
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Decalino
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Pickpick

After losing her job, May agrees to have her face subtly altered to resist facial recognition in exchange for a significant payment. The cascading effects of this decision in a world populated by humanoid AI robots send May into a downward spiral. This near future dystopia hit very hard; not only did it seem entirely plausible, its depiction of societal dependence on phones and a pathological need for consumption ring all too true. Fascinating.

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Hooked_on_books
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Pickpick

In a near future even more obsessed with screens and in which nature can only be accessed by the rich, a desperate woman has an experimental procedure done to assist a company in determining what can fool facial recognition. The consequences reverberate for her and her family in unexpected ways. And I have some questions about that ending! Fully absorbing.

48 likes2 stack adds
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Beachesnbooks
Hum | Helen Phillips
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(belated) August #botm picks!

Julsmarshall I‘m currently reading The Pairing and really enjoying it! 3mo
18 likes1 comment
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jlhammar
Hum | Helen Phillips
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#BOTM delivery on this dark, rainy Monday. I wasn‘t overly excited about the August choices, but thought these two were worth a try. And fun that they threw in a free short story (by Abby Geni)!

janeycanuck Oh man, I‘m jealous… Mine has been sitting in New Jersey since Friday. Delivery to Canada takes forever. 4mo
63 likes1 comment
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ReadingisMyPassion
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Mehso-so

While “Hum“ offers a compelling premise and thought-provoking commentary, it struggles with character development and cohesive storytelling. The world-building is impressive, and the themes of privacy, technology, and family resonate strongly. However, the book ultimately falls short of delivering a fully impactful narrative.

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ErikasMindfulShelf
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Pickpick

In a world where AI is getting more and more prominent, this was a very interesting and at the same time a bit frightening book. It made me think about the way we interact with and take care of the world and the people around us. At its core it‘s a story about family and motherhood and the things we do to keep our children safe and happy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-galley.

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kyraleseberg
Hum | Helen Phillips
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Ahhhhh, I won a Goodreads giveaway! 🎉
It doesn't happen often, it's sooooo exciting when it does!

Aims42 Congrats 🎉🎉🎉🎉 6mo
Texreader Yay!! 6mo
25 likes2 comments