Life Hacks For a Little Alien

(Paperback)

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Description

'Climb up here, Little Alien. Sit next to me. I will tell you about life on this planet. I will tell you how it goes'

Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and Remarkably Bright Creatures, this is a charming, witty and profoundly moving novel about what it feels like to grow up neurodivergent.

Little Alien lives with her mum and her dad in the South-East of England. Her mum has a 'how-to' guide for every situation, and her dad is always kind and always right. And there is her best friend Bobby, who coincidentally has a bob.

But it is only when Little Alien sees a documentary about the Voynich Manuscript - a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script - that 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

Unique and thoroughly engaging. Life Hacks for a Little Alien tells a story about feeling different. It is insightful and funny and gently poignant. By telling the story of one little alien, Alice Franklin has told the story of many. By creating a character obsessed with an ancient manuscript whose text cannot be deciphered, she has illuminated the power of language and our desire, whether we are human or alien, to be understood. -- Pip Williams, New York Times bestselling author of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick The Dictionary of Lost Words
This is one of those rare books that is so brilliant, so original and lovely and funny, that it reminds you of the point of reading, and renews your faith in fiction. I adored it. I'm going to be recommending it to everyone I know. I laughed frequently while reading it, and was moved, and interested, and changed. -- Rebecca Wait, author of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way

Author Bio

Alice Franklin lives and works in London. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Life Hacks for a Little Alien is her debut novel.