Complex parable of families and secrets
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When activists target a family dairy farm, the secrets that the family keeps from each other are slowly brought into the light: George the father who was never the first choice to take over the farm; younger son Tom, newly returned from university and feeling trapped; and in a further narrative during the Second World War, a German prisoner of war who spent some seasons on the farm, getting close to his host family.

With shifting perspectives across time and diverse writing styles, this complex novel submerges its themes of confinement and fear within its many storylines: trust fund activism and rural life; discomfort and xenophobia; gender and conformity. All of them revolve around family, both the family that one comes from and the family that one finds, even if it’s only momentary.

I think this book could have gone one of two ways: into spare prose that keenly cut to the heart of each story; or into lush descriptive tales of these three men and the people around them. Instead, Insua takes a middle road that focuses on the three men and the things they never say, not even to themselves, not out loud, not until it’s almost too late. When the point comes that the unsaid needs to be said, each character reacts differently, tellingly, and in so doing, builds up to the best possible ending.

Four stars.

I loved the premise of this book, as I am an animal rights activist so I was instantly drawn to this. It was great to read a portrayal of it in a fictional novel. I thought the book did a great job of representing both sides and humanising them both. The book also tackled a lot of issues and covered a lot of ground which held my interest throughout and has made me think a lot!

this basically just took me forever to read, and i felt not much happenned................................................................................................................................

I didn’t know what to expect with this

The first time it went back in time I didn’t get where it was going but it all knitted together perfectly

A story of family and love in the modern age, a good look into the farming community and how hard it is.

Definitely a must read for 2025

Loved this so much I couldn't put it down. Was a great debut novel from the author and I cant wait to read future novels.

a big thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing this arc.

this book dives into themes of identity, change, acceptance, and family. it's a slow read and it took me a while to get into the rhythm of the story, but as it progressed i started appreciating the complexity of the characters and their relationships.
it's a heartfelt and thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you turn the last page.

Human, Animal is Seth Insua's debut novel. It's set on a dairy farm which is 'attacked' by a group of vegan activists who post public social media videos decrying what they say as poor animal welfare. George, the owner of the farm, is struggling with keeping the farm going, and with keeping his family together. It took me a while to get into the novel but I'm glad I stuck with it as I enjoyed the characters and the underlying themes of identity, family and change.

Set in the English countryside, a struggling dairy farm in present day is rocked by a families inability to connect and understand each other whilst a vegan activist group begin to invade and vilify the farm’s practices and conditions alongside the exploration of the journal of a German prisoner of war in World War Two. A blistering novel about the nuances of acceptance, modernity, empathy, and the need for self discovery, Seth Insua creates a vivid microcosm of generations young and old struggling to bridge the gap between cultural views and values. A beautiful exploration of family, identity, and the idea of inherited values.

An interesting read, it took a little bit of time to get into the novel but I was pleasantly surprised by the book overall. A heartwarming story that will stay with me for a while.

A heartwarming story of coping with and accepting change, no matter how things have always been done.. it took me a while to get into this, and I was a little unsure at first, expecting this to be one big whinge about the farming industry. It really isn’t. My second ever book featuring the use of singular ‘they’ and it was incredibly refreshing!