Contemporary, Coming-of-Age

Life Hacks for a Little Alien

$32.99

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UPC:

9781529435726

Product Description

Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures, this is a charming, witty and moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent. From her first words to her first day at school, Little Alien can't help but get things wrong. She doesn't understand the world the way others seem to, and the world doesn't seem to understand her either. Her anxious mum and meticulous dad, while well-intentioned, are of little help. But when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript - a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script - she begins to suspect that there are other people who feel just like her. Convinced that translating this manuscript will offer the answers she needs, she sets out on a journey that will show her a delicious taste of freedom. So begins Little Alien's story, told from the perspective of an older, wiser linguist, whose guidance will help Little Alien navigate a world that makes her feel like she doesn't belong.

Reviews

4
Growing up, mental illness, neurodivergence, school,

Posted by Novel Insight Reviews on 8th Feb 2025

Little Alien documents the journey of a neurodivergent girl growing up in the nineties and early 2000s in England. She is considered a problem child, but she cannot understand why. The rules of the world around her don't make sense—but the Voynich Manuscript (a medieval codex she saw a documentary about) may well hold answers. People say it was written by aliens. Maybe she is an alien. The main character's childhood is baffling—from her mother’s mental struggles to strange happenings at school—but her highlights are spending time with her friend Bobby, and researching the Voynich Manuscript at the library. Eventually, her intense interest in the Voynich Manuscript leads to a researching job when she is only sixteen. While it hasn't provided her with answers, she learns to create her own answers, make her own arguments and find her way in the world. Life Hacks for a Little Alien is a unique read, written in the second person by a mysterious narrator, without any true happy ending. While bleak at times, it is a powerful representation of being different.