Hum: A Novel by Helen Phillips

In Hum, a gripping dystopian thriller by Helen Phillips, global warming and rapid technological advancement set the stage for an urgent and harrowing tale. The novel, named a Most Anticipated book by Goodreads, LitHub, and Book Riot, follows May, a woman who loses her job to artificial intelligence in a climate-ravaged city. Faced with mounting debt and a desperate need to secure her family's future, May agrees to participate in an experimental procedure that alters her appearance, making her unrecognizable to surveillance systems.

In an effort to offer her family a brief escape from their device-obsessed lives, May splurges on passes to the Botanical Garden—a rare sanctuary with flourishing forests, streams, and wildlife. However, her attempt to disconnect her family from their screens proves to be more challenging than expected. The Botanical Garden, intended as a refuge, becomes fraught with complications when her children face unexpected dangers.

As the threats to her family intensify, May is compelled to rely on a robot—referred to as a "hum"—with dubious intentions. Navigating this perilous situation, she grapples with the delicate balance of trust, survival, and her family's well-being.

Phillips' Hum offers a taut, speculative exploration of modern issues through a lens of dystopian and utopian possibilities. The novel delves into themes of marriage, motherhood, and identity within a world of climate crises and technological upheaval. Jeff VanderMeer praises Phillips for her incisive portrayal of uncomfortable truths about the present through the lens of a near-future reality. ❤️📚❤️