While sibling relationships are at the centre of this often funny novel, its setting is a constant murmur that raises questions about a world that is changing before our eyes, one where concerns about the climate and the way it affects our ways of living feel more present and more urgent every day. 
 
This is, undoubtedly, a brainy novel: The Alternatives ponders on different elements of our world with so much rigour, care and sensitivity. But it is also an incredibly witty novel and Hughes creates a masterful balance between seriousness and truly funny passages. ⁠