Published 13th February 2025 by riverrun.
From the cover of the book:
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 this charming, witty, and profoundly moving novel about the power of language, the wonder of libraries - and how to find a path that fits, when you yourself do not.
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Little Alien feels out of step with the world around her. Many things simply do not make sense to her, and she struggles to communicate her own thoughts and emotions with the language she has at her disposal. She always seem to get things wrong, and her parents have no idea how to help, despite their good intentions.
When Little Alien sees a documentary about a mysterious manuscript called the Voynich Manuscript, a mediaeval codex written in an unknown language and script, she feels that it somehow represents her own experience. Perhaps if she can translate the manuscript it will be a way to embark on a voyage of discovery that will navigate her way through life?
Life Hacks For A Little Alien is a quirky and humorous novel about understanding a world which makes little sense to you, and which does not seem to understand you in return. It unfurls in unconventional style through the second person narration of an unnamed linguist offering advice to the neurodivergent (and equally anonymous) Little Alien about how she can expect her youth to play out, in a form of personally crafted fable that comes full circle. I wondered at times if this was actually Little Alien herself looking back on her own life in a speculative twist, but ultimately it does not really matter.
Although I am not generally a fan of a second person narration, this works very well here, and becomes a vehicle by which Franklin can drop into moments in Little Alien's life that show how the world can be bewildering to someone who thinks a bit differently. You do not need to be on the spectrum to relate to many of the scenes in this story, especially the discord between the things adults say (or leave unsaid) and how children comprehend their meaning, but Franklin also offers real insight into neurodivergence, particularly when it comes to having the resources (life hacks in this instance) to understand others and make oneself heard. It is easy to see how this is part-informed from her own experiences with autism.
I very much enjoyed how Franklin makes Little Alien's search for answers through her quest to decipher the Voyich Manuscript so engaging, making it into an adventure tale just as much as it is a life-affirming exploration of difference. The relationship she forms with her best friend Bobby is full of heart-warming tenderness. There are many comic moments to enjoy (the recommended reading suggestions are absolute gold). And if this story is not a drop-dead gorgeous love letter to books and the libraries that make them available to all., then I do not know what is.
Life Hacks for a Little Alien is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to riverrun for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
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. The characterisation of Little Alien is partly informed by her own experience with autism.
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