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The Human Script
'A captivating, intelligent and deeply affecting exploration of science, literature and ideas'
Tom McCarthy, Man Booker nominee and author of 
C, 
R±ð³¾²¹¾±²Ô»å±ð°ù and Satin Island
THE HUMAN SCRIPT: A NOVEL IN 23 CHROMOSOMES
London in the spring of 2000: Chris Putnam, a young scientist working on the Human Genome Project, is grieving for the end of his first relationship and for the loss of his deeply religious and estranged father. Then Chris falls in love and his twin brother goes missing. Events take Chris on a journey from the hallowed halls of scientific research via decadent art-scene parties and London’s Theatreland to the cold loneliness of a psychiatric hospital and ultimately to a desperate decision. What Chris discovers about himself and his world forces him to address his own nature, his own beliefs and his own reality.
The Human Script is a cryptic parable, in which popular science, philosophy, literary theory and religion intertwine in a poignant and tragic love story that asks the question: what is it to be human?
As well as Tom McCarthy's praise, extracts have been widely lauded by such writers as Ian McEwan, Andrew Motion, W G Sebald and Lorna Sage and compared to David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas), Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Bernard Schlink (The Reader).
An Amazon Kindle top 100 literary fiction title.
"The Booksmoke team reads a lot of books but so far nothing has beaten Johnny Rich's The Human Script. Hands down my book of the year. Brave, intelligent and gloriously unsettling. Tackling the big, beautiful, murky questions of science and genetics, 'nature/nurture', love, life, death. There are few books I finish and have to start at the beginning again but this was one of them.�
Alex Masters, BookSmoke
� The Human Script is an engaging novel brimming with ideas, so much so I feel it would stand up to multiple re readings within a short space of time. To say I enjoyed The Human Script would be an understatement. It provided me with the long forgotten thrill of not knowing how a novel will conclude, and for that I am grateful. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys clever, well written fiction.�
BookemStevo
"Incredibly clever and smart, and really made me think, while keeping me entertained to the end. The characters were engaging, and the plot was gripping. If you want to try something truly different and unique, I would highly recommend this book."
Stephanie Cox, Words are my Craft
" Johnny Rich is a lover of literature and this is clear in his clever use of motifs and themes within The Human Script. His writing is reminiscent of Tom McCarthy and David Mitchell; readers may find that upon reading the last page they will want to start all over again. Intelligent, thought-provoking and profoundly moving, The Human Script is a book that will start conversations and will linger in your mind for a long time."
Justine Solomons, Byte the Book
" The Human Script is an ambitious and intriguing novel. Johnny Rich’s voice is one I hope we will all become more familiar with."
Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone, author of Home
"The cutting edge of literature... I was pulled in for the ride until the very last page. The Human Script is almost pulsating with ideas and more than that with questions it’s impossible not to ask yourself after reading.
Unique."
Plastic Rosaries
'A fascinating book'
'A real thought provoker'
'Intelligent, complex and surprising'
Amazon reviews
Tom McCarthy, Man Booker nominee and author of 
C, 
R±ð³¾²¹¾±²Ô»å±ð°ù and Satin Island
THE HUMAN SCRIPT: A NOVEL IN 23 CHROMOSOMES
London in the spring of 2000: Chris Putnam, a young scientist working on the Human Genome Project, is grieving for the end of his first relationship and for the loss of his deeply religious and estranged father. Then Chris falls in love and his twin brother goes missing. Events take Chris on a journey from the hallowed halls of scientific research via decadent art-scene parties and London’s Theatreland to the cold loneliness of a psychiatric hospital and ultimately to a desperate decision. What Chris discovers about himself and his world forces him to address his own nature, his own beliefs and his own reality.
The Human Script is a cryptic parable, in which popular science, philosophy, literary theory and religion intertwine in a poignant and tragic love story that asks the question: what is it to be human?
As well as Tom McCarthy's praise, extracts have been widely lauded by such writers as Ian McEwan, Andrew Motion, W G Sebald and Lorna Sage and compared to David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas), Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Bernard Schlink (The Reader).
An Amazon Kindle top 100 literary fiction title.
"The Booksmoke team reads a lot of books but so far nothing has beaten Johnny Rich's The Human Script. Hands down my book of the year. Brave, intelligent and gloriously unsettling. Tackling the big, beautiful, murky questions of science and genetics, 'nature/nurture', love, life, death. There are few books I finish and have to start at the beginning again but this was one of them.�
Alex Masters, BookSmoke
� The Human Script is an engaging novel brimming with ideas, so much so I feel it would stand up to multiple re readings within a short space of time. To say I enjoyed The Human Script would be an understatement. It provided me with the long forgotten thrill of not knowing how a novel will conclude, and for that I am grateful. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys clever, well written fiction.�
BookemStevo
"Incredibly clever and smart, and really made me think, while keeping me entertained to the end. The characters were engaging, and the plot was gripping. If you want to try something truly different and unique, I would highly recommend this book."
Stephanie Cox, Words are my Craft
" Johnny Rich is a lover of literature and this is clear in his clever use of motifs and themes within The Human Script. His writing is reminiscent of Tom McCarthy and David Mitchell; readers may find that upon reading the last page they will want to start all over again. Intelligent, thought-provoking and profoundly moving, The Human Script is a book that will start conversations and will linger in your mind for a long time."
Justine Solomons, Byte the Book
" The Human Script is an ambitious and intriguing novel. Johnny Rich’s voice is one I hope we will all become more familiar with."
Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone, author of Home
"The cutting edge of literature... I was pulled in for the ride until the very last page. The Human Script is almost pulsating with ideas and more than that with questions it’s impossible not to ask yourself after reading.
Unique."
Plastic Rosaries
'A fascinating book'
'A real thought provoker'
'Intelligent, complex and surprising'
Amazon reviews
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2013
5 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
About the author
Johnny Rich
12Ìýbooks9ÌýfollowersAfter publishing a series of award-winning guidebooks about universities and student life, Johnny turned to fiction and became a student at the world-famous MA course in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, where he was taught by, among others, Sir Andrew Motion, Lorna Sage and W.G. Sebald. He also mixed with some of the great names in contemporary fiction: Sir Malcolm Bradbury, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Doris Lessing, Hanif Kureishi, Ali Smith, Louis de Bernières and many others.
While at UEA, Johnny wrote the first draft of his debut novel The Human Script. He was immediately snapped up by a top London literary agent, but it was another 12 years before the book was published by independent imprint Red Button.
Apart from his work as a writer, Johnny is well known as an expert on higher education and careers. He appears regularly on TV and radio discussing education issues and runs a programme of talks in schools.
He is also said to have discovered a new species of spider and once had a painting shown in the gallery of the BBC programme Take Hart, aged 10.
Johnny lives in London.
While at UEA, Johnny wrote the first draft of his debut novel The Human Script. He was immediately snapped up by a top London literary agent, but it was another 12 years before the book was published by independent imprint Red Button.
Apart from his work as a writer, Johnny is well known as an expert on higher education and careers. He appears regularly on TV and radio discussing education issues and runs a programme of talks in schools.
He is also said to have discovered a new species of spider and once had a painting shown in the gallery of the BBC programme Take Hart, aged 10.
Johnny lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 24, 2015
As soon as I had a copy of The Human Script in my hands, I knew it was a book that would challenge me. After reading I can safely say that I haven't read another book like it in my life. The Human Script is a novel that is so strongly self-aware that it keeps the reader on tenterhooks for the entirety of the story. It is a distinctly modern novel that cuts through all conventions of literature. The protagonist, Chris Putnam, leads the reader through the maze of his mind that is never quite sure, or comfortable with its surroundings. While reading, I almost felt that I was one with Chris (please excuse the sickening cliché) and that I was learning about his world and the people in it at the same time he was. To say that Chris is a likeable character is a serious understatement and a trivial perception of the novel. I feel that it was never Rich's aim to encourage you to 'like' Chris, or even empathise with him, but understand him and to ask the same questions about your own life that Chris continually asks about his own.
The narration of this book was simply fantastic and from the very first chapter I was thrown in at the deep end, at the start of a seemingly normal morning for Chris, not unlike any morning for the millions of people all waking up and beginning their day in different places all over the world. However, it didn't take me long to realise that this book, in its content, narration, characters or ideas was anything but 'normal'. The switching to different types of narration gave me endless insight into what was happening in the story, and the character development of all the different figures that featured in Chris' life. This gave a distinctive 'closeness' to all of the characters in the book, even those who never actually featured as speaking figures in the story, for example Chris' feather Eugene.
Because of Chris' continuous and ever-spiralling questioning about himself and the world around him, I never felt at ease and this just made the book work for me. In a mere 320 pages, Rich managed to tackle the questions that face all of us at some point or other in our lives: nature/nurture, religion, celebrity, philosophy, literature, ideas, science, cause and effect and most importantly: what is it that makes us who we are? In the final chapter of the book I was as manic and feeble-minded as Chris; I no longer had any idea about what was fictional and what was real. The paragraphs where Chris berates 'The Author' was a fantastically used device and really drove home the feeling of unease and separation from the 'reality' of the action in the novel.
The only reason why this review isn't 5* is that, simply, I wanted this book to be longer. Way longer. Countless ideas were explored, but I wanted Rich to go deeper. I wanted to be given the chance to question Chris and the other characters more.
Altogether, I loved The Human Script, and I am so so glad that I requested it. It is a book that has inspired me to continue with my own writing, push the boundaries of conventional storytelling, and to never stop asking the important questions.
The narration of this book was simply fantastic and from the very first chapter I was thrown in at the deep end, at the start of a seemingly normal morning for Chris, not unlike any morning for the millions of people all waking up and beginning their day in different places all over the world. However, it didn't take me long to realise that this book, in its content, narration, characters or ideas was anything but 'normal'. The switching to different types of narration gave me endless insight into what was happening in the story, and the character development of all the different figures that featured in Chris' life. This gave a distinctive 'closeness' to all of the characters in the book, even those who never actually featured as speaking figures in the story, for example Chris' feather Eugene.
Because of Chris' continuous and ever-spiralling questioning about himself and the world around him, I never felt at ease and this just made the book work for me. In a mere 320 pages, Rich managed to tackle the questions that face all of us at some point or other in our lives: nature/nurture, religion, celebrity, philosophy, literature, ideas, science, cause and effect and most importantly: what is it that makes us who we are? In the final chapter of the book I was as manic and feeble-minded as Chris; I no longer had any idea about what was fictional and what was real. The paragraphs where Chris berates 'The Author' was a fantastically used device and really drove home the feeling of unease and separation from the 'reality' of the action in the novel.
The only reason why this review isn't 5* is that, simply, I wanted this book to be longer. Way longer. Countless ideas were explored, but I wanted Rich to go deeper. I wanted to be given the chance to question Chris and the other characters more.
Altogether, I loved The Human Script, and I am so so glad that I requested it. It is a book that has inspired me to continue with my own writing, push the boundaries of conventional storytelling, and to never stop asking the important questions.
October 20, 2015
The Human Script, by Johnny Rich, looks at life and what that means. It asks big questions within the context of a fictional tale, pondering how much of what matters to an individual is a construct and how much is real. It explores cause and effect, nature and nurture. It demonstrates that the course of an individual’s life is largely beyond his control.
The protagonist, Chris Putnam, is a biologist working on the Human Genome Project. He is still coming to terms with the break up of his first long term relationship when his brother phones to tell him that their father has died. Chris had not spoken to the old man in many months. He reluctantly returns to the family home for the funeral but is then eager to get away. Over the coming months, as his grief works its way to the surface, Chris encounters problems at work, dabbles in drugs, and neglects a good friend who wishes to help. He also falls in love.
The story is told in 23 chapters, a novel in 23 chromosomes. It offers up the science of what makes a person unique alongside the emotional issues he must face. It took me a few chapters to find the narrator’s voice but I was then hooked on what is a compelling and intelligent read.
A little over halfway through the book Chris reaches crisis point in a number of areas of his life. The reader shares in his thought processes as he struggles with an accelerating downward spiral. Chris is a scientist, a realist who has rejected the religion of his upbringing. He finds the idea that he is unable to determine the direction his life will take an anathema.
The final third of the book is dark in tone. In refusing to be what others want Chris finds himself questioning his very essence. His problems are exacerbated as the science he has relied upon fails him, and the freedom he has fought for becomes his prison. Reality becomes muddied as his perception of life shifts.
The denouement does not offer answers; such answers would be as facile as Douglas Adam’s 42. Instead the reader is left to consider all that has gone before. Chris’s actions influenced events, allowed him to change course, but he could not control the future. Likewise, an author does not control what his reader takes from a book; such perceptions are determined by the reader’s life experiences as much as by what is written down.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Red Button Publishing.
The protagonist, Chris Putnam, is a biologist working on the Human Genome Project. He is still coming to terms with the break up of his first long term relationship when his brother phones to tell him that their father has died. Chris had not spoken to the old man in many months. He reluctantly returns to the family home for the funeral but is then eager to get away. Over the coming months, as his grief works its way to the surface, Chris encounters problems at work, dabbles in drugs, and neglects a good friend who wishes to help. He also falls in love.
The story is told in 23 chapters, a novel in 23 chromosomes. It offers up the science of what makes a person unique alongside the emotional issues he must face. It took me a few chapters to find the narrator’s voice but I was then hooked on what is a compelling and intelligent read.
A little over halfway through the book Chris reaches crisis point in a number of areas of his life. The reader shares in his thought processes as he struggles with an accelerating downward spiral. Chris is a scientist, a realist who has rejected the religion of his upbringing. He finds the idea that he is unable to determine the direction his life will take an anathema.
The final third of the book is dark in tone. In refusing to be what others want Chris finds himself questioning his very essence. His problems are exacerbated as the science he has relied upon fails him, and the freedom he has fought for becomes his prison. Reality becomes muddied as his perception of life shifts.
The denouement does not offer answers; such answers would be as facile as Douglas Adam’s 42. Instead the reader is left to consider all that has gone before. Chris’s actions influenced events, allowed him to change course, but he could not control the future. Likewise, an author does not control what his reader takes from a book; such perceptions are determined by the reader’s life experiences as much as by what is written down.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Red Button Publishing.
May 28, 2017
'The human Script', good book. Very good. The way the character looses his grip or reality is exceptionally scripted indeed. It makes us to go along with the character. Takes you on a whole new level of reality. Just speechless at the end of the book. No cliches, totally fresh and unpredictable story flow. The book starts slow and happy and feeling good, but slowly it takes us to loose our self along with the character and go MAD!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2015
This book was deeply philosophical and also scientific in nature, and I became especially engrossed in it when I realised that it was about twins and the nature/nurture debate, and the differences in genetically identical siblings (as a triplet myself, I am always fascinated by this.) Do our genes dictate how we turn out? Or is it our environment that shapes who we are as people? And who or what has created us? Who controls our reality?
In terms of literary achievement, this book ticks many boxes: a good plot, an engaging romance story, mystery and narrative experimentation. The protagonist, Chris Putnam, is a scientist, a lab assistant whose initial view of the world is one built on logic and evidence. I say initial, because as the novel goes on, his perceptions and thoughts begin to change as certain events unfold. What’s quite interesting is that the text is set in a scientific thesis form � i.e it actually includes footnotes. These don’t interrupt the flow of the book, in fact they give it an added depth.
Chris grew up stubborn and unrelenting about his scientific beliefs, especially his conviction that it is not God who dictates a person’s nature and lifestyle, and that it is in fact DNA and genes that determine them. This leads Chris to constantly question whether it is because of this that his relationship with his father was unable to be mended before his father died. Should he have been so steadfast and unmoving just because his religious father could not understand his life choices? Should he have put these differences aside for the sake of more important things? With the loss of his father as a trigger point, Chris begins to doubt the world around him and, more specifically, the nature of his reality. Is his belief system actually right? Or has he been closed-minded over the years?
Here I can understand why the novel was discovered and produced by Red Button Publishing, where it may not have been recognised for the great achievement that it is in a ‘Big 5� mainstream publishing house. The book is incredibly clever and smart, and really made me think, while keeping me entertained to the end. The characters were engaging, and the plot was gripping. If you want to try something truly different and unique, I would highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it.
Read my full review at
In terms of literary achievement, this book ticks many boxes: a good plot, an engaging romance story, mystery and narrative experimentation. The protagonist, Chris Putnam, is a scientist, a lab assistant whose initial view of the world is one built on logic and evidence. I say initial, because as the novel goes on, his perceptions and thoughts begin to change as certain events unfold. What’s quite interesting is that the text is set in a scientific thesis form � i.e it actually includes footnotes. These don’t interrupt the flow of the book, in fact they give it an added depth.
Chris grew up stubborn and unrelenting about his scientific beliefs, especially his conviction that it is not God who dictates a person’s nature and lifestyle, and that it is in fact DNA and genes that determine them. This leads Chris to constantly question whether it is because of this that his relationship with his father was unable to be mended before his father died. Should he have been so steadfast and unmoving just because his religious father could not understand his life choices? Should he have put these differences aside for the sake of more important things? With the loss of his father as a trigger point, Chris begins to doubt the world around him and, more specifically, the nature of his reality. Is his belief system actually right? Or has he been closed-minded over the years?
Here I can understand why the novel was discovered and produced by Red Button Publishing, where it may not have been recognised for the great achievement that it is in a ‘Big 5� mainstream publishing house. The book is incredibly clever and smart, and really made me think, while keeping me entertained to the end. The characters were engaging, and the plot was gripping. If you want to try something truly different and unique, I would highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed it.
Read my full review at
August 25, 2015
The Human Script came to me thanks to its author and it’s the kind of novel which I wouldn’t naturally move towards, not sure why, it just didn’t scream out to me but I gave it a go regardless and was pleasantly surprised to be taken on a journey with Chris and his various co-stars along the way.
The first thing to say about The Human Script is that it couldn’t be more modern if it tried, it is just like, the cutting edge of literature, in some ways like Robin Sloan’s work. It’s the kind of novel that makes you reflect upon things on your own life, as Chris, our leading character, reflects upon those in his.
Before I get going I will say it took me some time to get on with Chris� voice. There is a lot of interior monologue, thinking outloud and a lot of times I was kind of, unsure why this even needed to be in the novel, but I suppose that is all part of how the author created his character and just because it acted as a bit of barrier to me, it’s not to say it wasn’t intentional. ANYWAY.
Chris� life basically falls to pieces but not all in a bad way, there’s the loss of his father which leaves him feeling weird and disconnected from his own persona as it seems to have been partially built on his feelings for his father and then by the disappearance of his loud and in-your-face brother Chris and then there’s the love element, full-blown true love. Quite a lot of things to handle in one go so it’s no wonder Chris has a bit of a crisis of faith, confidence and also in himself.
The series of events that befell Chris seem a little unlikely but that again, is kind of what fiction is for and through this, Rich is able to get going with the real bulk of his novel, the chance to express eloquent views on everything from science to faith and plenty of things in between and it works in a way that doesn’t interrupt the narrative or the plot, it becomes an essential part of it.
I was about 40% of the way through this novel before it really grabbed but that’s OK because when it did, I was pulled in for the ride until the very last page. The Human Script is almost pulsating with ideas and more than that with questions it’s impossible not to ask yourself after reading.
Unique.
The first thing to say about The Human Script is that it couldn’t be more modern if it tried, it is just like, the cutting edge of literature, in some ways like Robin Sloan’s work. It’s the kind of novel that makes you reflect upon things on your own life, as Chris, our leading character, reflects upon those in his.
Before I get going I will say it took me some time to get on with Chris� voice. There is a lot of interior monologue, thinking outloud and a lot of times I was kind of, unsure why this even needed to be in the novel, but I suppose that is all part of how the author created his character and just because it acted as a bit of barrier to me, it’s not to say it wasn’t intentional. ANYWAY.
Chris� life basically falls to pieces but not all in a bad way, there’s the loss of his father which leaves him feeling weird and disconnected from his own persona as it seems to have been partially built on his feelings for his father and then by the disappearance of his loud and in-your-face brother Chris and then there’s the love element, full-blown true love. Quite a lot of things to handle in one go so it’s no wonder Chris has a bit of a crisis of faith, confidence and also in himself.
The series of events that befell Chris seem a little unlikely but that again, is kind of what fiction is for and through this, Rich is able to get going with the real bulk of his novel, the chance to express eloquent views on everything from science to faith and plenty of things in between and it works in a way that doesn’t interrupt the narrative or the plot, it becomes an essential part of it.
I was about 40% of the way through this novel before it really grabbed but that’s OK because when it did, I was pulled in for the ride until the very last page. The Human Script is almost pulsating with ideas and more than that with questions it’s impossible not to ask yourself after reading.
Unique.
December 3, 2015
I was bit out of my comfort zone with this novel and for a time it took me a while to feel really comfortable with the story. That's not to say the book is badly written, far from it, it's really very cleverly put together, it's more that my involvement in the story took a while to develop.
Chris Putnam is a scientist working on the Human Genome Project. On the surface he seems an average young man but he is troubled by indecision and feels that his life is drifting aimlessly. He fears the loss of stability which is further compounded by the ending of a relationship and the loss of his father. Changes in circumstance force Chris into making some difficult decisions.
This is a slow burner of a novel which takes a while to really get going but I'm glad I stuck with the story and commend the author on an original and highly innovative novel.
Chris Putnam is a scientist working on the Human Genome Project. On the surface he seems an average young man but he is troubled by indecision and feels that his life is drifting aimlessly. He fears the loss of stability which is further compounded by the ending of a relationship and the loss of his father. Changes in circumstance force Chris into making some difficult decisions.
This is a slow burner of a novel which takes a while to really get going but I'm glad I stuck with the story and commend the author on an original and highly innovative novel.
February 22, 2014
Wow. It's got everything: genetics, a great romance, epistemology, twins, art, celebrity...
Definitely won't be to everyone's taste, but I loved it. I had to look up a number of things - mandelbrot, Morton's fork - but they were all really interesting. Brilliant use of literary allusion. Deconstruction that didn't get right up my nose, even.
Definitely won't be to everyone's taste, but I loved it. I had to look up a number of things - mandelbrot, Morton's fork - but they were all really interesting. Brilliant use of literary allusion. Deconstruction that didn't get right up my nose, even.
April 28, 2013
A solidly written book that reads quickly and presents a multitude of interesting ideas. I especially like the development of the main character in the book. A worthy read!
January 29, 2022
Everything that I came to enjoy about this book along the way was ruined by the ending. This is exactly the kind of self-satisfied meandering 'consciousness' prose that I loved as a college student and wrote plenty of myself. That is not a compliment. I was glad to be done with this one.
August 24, 2017
It's difficult to review this book without giving away something important, since this is a novel which strikes out in a genuinely experimental direction. It offers an unusual blend of fiction and popular science from the off, but in due course it becomes more original still.
However, it is also very strong in all the conventional ways. It has wit, engaging characters, and subtly uses stream-of-consciousness to push forward narrative, illuminate character and raise themes at the same time. For example, there's a paragraph in which the narrator's surface thoughts are a supposedly dispassionate pondering of ghosts, while he waits outside the regimented office where his late father used to work - it's one of those paragraphs that would make an excellent example for English lessons of how writing can operate on many levels at once.
However, it is also very strong in all the conventional ways. It has wit, engaging characters, and subtly uses stream-of-consciousness to push forward narrative, illuminate character and raise themes at the same time. For example, there's a paragraph in which the narrator's surface thoughts are a supposedly dispassionate pondering of ghosts, while he waits outside the regimented office where his late father used to work - it's one of those paragraphs that would make an excellent example for English lessons of how writing can operate on many levels at once.
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