The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Hum – Helen Phillips
READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel
In a climate ravaged dystopian future where robots (Hums) take the every day jobs of humans and surveillance is at an all time high, a woman undergoes experiental facial surgery in order to pay her bills and treat her family to a visit to a sanctuary that has preserved the clean, green ways of the past. However, the Hums are watching their every move.
The hum paused for the programmed amount of time. Long enough to gesture toward thoughtfulness, not long enough to stall the conversation.
“Please have a regular day tomorrow, May.”
SALLY
● I empathised very early on in this book with the protagonist May. Set in a post apocalyptic world where fires have ravaged the natural world, May craves an immersive nature experience for herself and for her family. Frustrated with the way technology controls (and tracks) their every move, she sets in motion a chain of events that leads the family to a special trip to the Botanic Gardens. No spoilers, but it doesn’t turn out to be as magical as she hoped. The title of the book refers to the robots that populate the world. These “hums” are programmed to upsell every purchase or service they provide and use facial or fingerprint recognition, to identify the humans. The reader is never sure if they are good or evil. I found the plausability of such a world chilling, especially since, as I write, Sainsburys supermarket in the UK is trialing facial recognition in some of its stores.
Interestingly, the ending left me feeling hopeful although others had a vastly different impression. I wouldn’t wholeheartedly recommend this book but if you are looking for a read that leaves you with a sinister dread of where technology is headed, fill your boots.
RACHEL
● Hum invests more time into setting than plot, but the world it creates is so atmospheric and believable I don’t mind the simplicity. The futuristic, robot-controlled society is nicely balanced with a good old-fashioned human focus on motherhood, parenting and familial bonds. Despite how technological the book is, I found myself connecting with it on a very human level, mostly via May’s maternal fears about the world she has brought her children into. There is a constant sense of dread lurking, and every time a Hum appears something ominous happens. I enjoyed being on the edge of my comfort zone. The book’s realist-surrealist-speculative genre mash up provides a thought-provoking dose of reality mixed with a warning about a very possible future. I found this structure and the small cast made it easy to get lost in story and become immersed in the lives of the Webb-Clarke family.
BRIDGET
● Set in the not-too-distant future, Hum is a thought-provoking read that made me reflect on where society may already be heading. It isn’t fast-paced, but it offers a vivid and unsettling glimpse into a believable world where work is scarce due to AI robots (hums) replacing humans. Everyday life unfolds under the shadow of constant surveillance.
At its core, the novel follows mother May Webb striving to give her family the best life possible. Phillips explores both the morality of May’s decisions and the harsh judgment of others, not unlike our present world where keyboard warriors are quick to condemn. It’s the children’s innocence that really shows what’s at stake. May and Jem’s efforts are always focused on protecting Lu and Sy. The ending is cleverly written, leaving this book club with very different interpretations of what truly happened and fuelling some interesting discussions. I enjoyed Hum for its sharp, clever writing and unsettling vision, even if it did leave me feeling a little cold inside.
JODIE
● After finishing Hum I was left feeling unsettled in the best way. The way Phillips writes about a future shaped by AI feels both scary and relatable – I could actually imagine life heading in that direction. What makes Hum a good read, suitable for most readers, is that it’s not a far out sci fi epic, it’s more a slice of life that focuses on making the robot scenario feel eerily believable. I found it thought provoking and a little disturbing. It’s one that definitely lingers after you put it down.
TESSA
● I went into Hum with high expectations as the book jacket description sounded so intriguing, but in the end, it didn’t quite work for me. I think I was hoping for more plot momentum and deeper character development. It is certainly dystopian fiction aimed at the present, rather than some entirely imagined future, and much of what unfolds in the novel to me already feels uncomfortably real.
The story is told through May, a mother trying to hold her family together amid economic uncertainty in a world governed by artificial intelligence taken to the extreme. Helen Phillips vividly captures the bombardment of modern life: relentless ads, grim news headlines, the heavy weight of parenting and climate change (all of which she expands on in her endnotes). These details lend the novel both urgency and grounding, effectively conveying the characters’ mounting anxiety. Phillips builds tension through short, moment-to-moment chapters, and I found her sharpest writing was in the portrayal of everyday family life and the pressures technology imposes on it.
The speculative threads, however, didn’t always convince me, especially the face-alteration storyline, which felt underdeveloped. At times the family dynamics and their struggles within an AI-dominated society could have carried the novel on their own, without this extra element.
The open-ended conclusion leans toward ambiguity rather than closure, which ultimately left me unsatisfied. Still, Hum succeeds in evoking the claustrophobia of our current world and the uncertainty of what lies ahead. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, I did appreciate the story it was trying to tell, I was just left wanting and expecting a little more.
Published 2024
Marysue Rucci Books
262 pages
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The Free-Range Bookclub 
That sounds like an interesting read, I’ll look out for it. Sally re Sainsburys, a friend of mine was at a NZ supermarket self checkout and something weird happened while she was paying, a staff member did something and said good to go. Next time she was there a staff member, none too discretely, took her to the counter and she had to pay for last time as apparently it HADN’T been good to go. This was before she had done anything except enter the shop. Facial recognition is alive and well in NZ.
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