Novel about ‘Disneyfication’ of nature wins seasonal fiction awards | Books

A book with a protagonist whose job is taken over by AI is a success Seasonal fiction awards.

Hum by Helen Phillips, the third novel by the American author, is about a woman, May, who is fired from her job because of the “hum” of the title – a humanoid robot. Struggling to find a job, she acts as an experimental injectable that changes her face to avoid detection and surveillance. When he is paid, he rushes off on a family trip to the Botanical Garden, the last green space in his city. There, things are getting worse.

The prize, worth £10,000, was it was first presented last year to Abi Daré of And So I Round, following the best-seller The Girl with the Louding Voice.

Judge and writer Kit de Waal described Phillips’ book as about the “Disneyfication of Natural … turning nature into a rarefied place that we have to pay to see”. Fellow judge and climate scientist Friederike Otto added that it “combats the main reason nothing is being done about climate change – luck”, while author Daisy Hildyard described it as “scary and dangerous”. Guardian Review.

Along with Phillips on this year’s shortlist they were Madeleine Thien from The Book of Records, Robbie Arnott from Dusk, Keshava Guha from The Tiger’s Share, Susanna Kwan from Awake in the Floating City and Maria Reva from Endling.

Phillips was inspired to write the book one day when he went home from work and thought he should buy some fabric, before opening his computer at home to find an ad. “This terrible feeling was there for me, and I started to think about the serious problems that could come from being controlled by an algorithm.”

Hum “helps us connect to what’s really important and prevent us from sleeping through the inevitable,” said Lucy Stone, CEO of Climate Spring, which sponsors the award. “In the book, the machine begins to question the level of advertising and the decline of consumers, and then shows the family that there is a different future ahead of them.”

This year’s judges were chaired by Guardian theater critic and former Independent editor, Arifa Akbar. Alongside De Waal and Otto on the panel were writer Jessie Greengrass and novelist Simon Savidge.

As well as three novels, Phillips is the author of two short stories and a children’s book.

• Hum by Helen Phillips (Atlantic Books, £16.99). To support the Guardian, order your book from guardianbookshop.com. Shipping fees may apply.

• Helen Phillips will appear on There is a celebration to discuss the book on Saturday, May 30