Louise Beech
This Is How We Are Human
Sebastian is a twenty-year-old with a young man’s typical interests: sport, pop music and, of course, sex. But Sebastian is autistic, so sex and relationships seem to be out of the question for him.
Or are they? Veronica, Sebastian’s mother, desperately wants her lonely son to be happy, and takes the shocking decision to pay a professional to give Sebastian his first experience.
Veronica approaches ‘high-class escort’ Violetta – a very ordinary young woman trying to pay for both her nursing degree and the care her seriously ill father urgently needs. But is turning to prostitution the best way to help Sebastian find his place in the world – to help him find the love he craves?
Mesmerisingly beautiful and rich with emotion,This Is How We Are Human is a challenging and moving drama about the lengths we go to for the ones we love … and how the best intentions can go crushingly wrong.
Kate Cooper manages the translation rights for This Is How We Are Human
Translation Rights Sold
‘A convincing, bittersweet tale of misplaced kindness, a myriad types of vulnerability, and unexpected consequences’
Oh, Sebastian, I’ll never forget him. Heart is always at the core of Louise’s books and this one is no exception’
What a brave and prejudice busting story this is … brava’
Louise is a writer of beautiful sentences, and they are in abundance. This sensitive subject is treated with the utmost care’
‘Such a complex and emotive book’
A brilliant premise, executed beautifully … such a moving, tender and unexpected read’
‘Every now and then you read a book that takes your breath away. This is How We Are Human does just that. It is beautifully written but you don’t see that. You feel
from the first page to the last’
‘It had me gripped from the start and changed the way I see the world. Beautiful, bold and compelling – another fearless story from Beech’
‘One of the best writers of her generation’
‘I guarantee you will not read anything like it this year … you will fall in love with this book’
‘Incredibly moving, gripping, and full of heart … The novel everyone will be talking about this year’
‘Highly moving and richly observed, this novel defies easy categorisation’
