Backstory Talks: Seth Insua
Details
We're thrilled to welcome Seth Insua to Backstory for an evening dedicated to his debut novel Human, Animal.
This is a rare chance to hear Seth speak about the book, the writing process, and the stories behind it — followed by an open Q&A where the audience leads the conversation.
Come with your questions, your thoughts, and your copy to get signed!
### About the Author
Seth Insua is an Anglo-Spanish writer and artist, born in Kent in 1989. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a First in English Language and Literature. His debut novel Human, Animal was published by VERVE Books in 2025 and by Letras de Plata in Spanish the following year. He lives between Newcastle upon Tyne and Madrid.
### About the Book
Dairy farmer George Calvert is fighting to keep the family business afloat. Resistant to change, he refuses to face the reality of his failing farm, his elderly mother's declining health, and his troubled relationship with his youngest son Tom. Newly returned from university, Tom is quietly guarding the truth of his gender identity. When animal rights activists break into the cowshed and Tom appears to side with the protesters, father and son lock horns — and a decades-old secret begins to surface.
Human, Animal is a deeply moving story about a family struggling to find connection in a changing world. A BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick with Sara Cox, shortlisted for the inaugural New Adult Book Prize and for Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, it has been praised by Russell T Davies as "beautifully, skilfully told — remarkable, inspirational writing."