How To Stop Time

SYNOPSIS:

Tom Hazard has just moved back to London, his old home, to settle down and become a high school history teacher. And on his first day at school, he meets a captivating French teacher at his school who seems fascinated by him. But Tom has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. Tom has lived history--performing with Shakespeare, exploring the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life.

Unfortunately for Tom, the Albatross Society, the secretive group which protects people like Tom, has one rule: Never fall in love. As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society's watchful leader threaten to derail his new life and romance, the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him. Tom will have to decide once and for all whether to remain stuck in the past, or finally begin living in the present.

REVIEW

(3 STARS)

Be warned that this is a sad book, and I say that as someone who loves to bawl her eyes out every other day of the week. Even though this did not make me cry, it made me think about uncomfortable subjects such as death, the passing of time and loss. Read it if you want to contemplate such abstract matters and especially if you love History. Read it if you want to be baffled at how little things have changed in five centuries. However, if you’re looking for a light read, this is not it. This book can make you smile and in the end, but you'll have to push through.

One thing you won't have to concern yourself with is with the author’s writing. It is amazing, as usual. Haig's phrasing is enticing, his thoughts are brilliant and the way he manages to express them can't be from this world. He’s the man that always has the right thing to say and knows exactly how to put his feelings into coherent words. However, I didn't like 'How To Stop Time' as much as I thought I would.

It was still a good book, but much more cliché. Very quotable, but not as thought-provoking. The narrative is okay, but not original.

Maybe my expectations were too high, but this book didn’t reach that level of perfection and utter brilliance of 'The Humans'. I would say ‘How To Stop Time’ (2017) can be a good introduction to Matt Haig's works, even if it is one of his most recent books. It gives you a good insight into his writing style and his imagination.

I would also have loved to see this book's bibliographical references. As a History student, I would love to know the sources Haig consulted or if he just used his imagination.