Human, Animal

** SHORTLISTED FOR THE DISCOVER AWARD AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2026 **

** SHORTLISTED FOR THE NEW ADULT BOOK PRIZE 2025 **

** 'BEAUTIFULLY, SKILFULLY TOLD WITH REAL TENSION AND GORGEOUS CHARACTERS, HUMAN, ANIMAL MOVED ME TO TEARS... REMARKABLE' - RUSSELL T DAVIES **

A deeply moving debut about one family's struggle to find connection in a rapidly changing world, Human, Animal is an ode to the wild, a journey of self-discovery and a hopeful path to common ground.

Dairy farmer George Calvert is fighting to keep the family business afloat. Worried about the future but resistant to change, he refuses to face the reality of his failing farm, his elderly mother's declining health and his troubled relationship with his youngest son, Tom.

Newly returned from university, Tom isolates himself in his childhood bedroom, guarding the truth of his burgeoning identity.

When animal rights activists break into the cowshed one morning and Tom appears to side with the protesters, father and son lock horns. As the Calverts begin to unravel, a decades-old secret surfaces – one that might rip them apart completely, or finally unite them.

Perfect for fans of Pity by Andrew McMillan, Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart, A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson and The Discomfort of Evening by Lucas Rijneveld.

PRAISE FOR HUMAN, ANIMAL

'The novel explores the connections between the social and political and the past and present, looking at how much of our identities we inherit, and the ways in which history repeats and evolves at the same time. A clever debut with an opening line you’ll be thinking about for months' - GQ

'Impressive... The characterisation is so adept... [and] never fails to convince' - Financial Times

'Insua probes the spaces between black-and-white-thinking with immeasurable sensitivity… Human, Animal explores the anxious convergence of the past, present and future, with staggering clarity. A truly impressive debut ' - Joshua Jones, author of Local Fires

'Blisteringly emotional, exploring the complex folds of family bonds. The last page left me haunted. Completely unmissable' - Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

'A beautiful, clever debut, written with such tenderness for its muddled, struggling cast. Insua balances polarised worlds – the young and old, the urban and rural, the expected and forbidden – to create a novel so full of generosity and insight' - Abigail Dean, author of Girl A

'One of the most thought-provoking books I've read this year' - Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings

'A formidable saga of British farming – spinning a moving tale of belonging, family, and land that brings country life into fierce reckoning with the modern world. As vital and sweeping as the countryside it enfolds us in' - Scott Preston, author of The Borrowed Hills

'Compelling, conflicting and heartbreaking, Human, Animal had my heart pounding in my throat until I'd devoured every last page’ - Awais Khan, author of No Honour

'A searingly powerful novel' - Lucy Ashe, author of Clara & Olivia

'Poignant, lyrical… Human, Animal is about remembering our shared humanity that has the potential to reunite us under one sun in this complex, ever-changing, yet beautiful world' - James Hodge, Attitude magazine

‘A rich and compelling debut from a writer with a striking talent for weaving together complex narrative strands... Insua is one to watch' - Barney Norris, author of The Vanishing Hours

'I can't stop thinking about Human, Animal… A heartbreaking but hopeful portrait of a family struggling to understand each other' - Curtis Garner, author of Isaac

SETH INSUA is an Anglo-Spanish writer and artist. He was born in Kent in 1989. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a First in English Language and Literature. He has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and The London Magazine's Short Story Competition and was a semi-finalist in the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. He currently lives with his husband, David, between Newcastle upon Tyne and Madrid. Human, Animal is his first novel.