How to Stop Time: Matt Haig

I've previously read a few books by this author - love some of them and really like the others. This one had passed by me though and I picked it up now having recently read The Midnight Library (not my favourite but loved the premise). This book was first published in 2017. The book is 325 pages in 5 parts, each containing multiple chapters which jump about in time, always going back from the present day. I've read several books that have time travel at their core and structure/rules are always the key to their success. Matt Haig manages these impossibilities very strongly and I quickly forgot that this was not a reality. On starting the book, I did get the feeling that I had read it before although definitely hadn't which was very strange. I decided that, as I had had a recommendation, the details of the description from my friend had stuck in my head. The structure is really clear and I was swept along with the fantasy, never questioning the many difficult practical details. Extreme longevity is a very clever way to explore loneliness and that is a recurring theme that runs through all of the book. Tom, the main character and narrator, looks into his own soul, considering how to best live his life. The limits on his existence are constraining and he struggles to deal with their effects, meaning he continually analyses his actions in his attempts to "stop time". I was absorbed into Tom's world easily and completely believed the dilemmas that he faced, understanding how he tried to solve them. Various periods in past are visited and they are addressed in a way that is very natural. The detail is subtle with the descriptions never threatening to take away focus from the characters and the plot. Whilst the narrative jumps around in time frequently, we are always in Tom's head and the book is written in such a smooth style that is never jarring. Amongst all the life lessons that Tom considers there is plenty to be considered by those reading the book as well. This book is entertaining, emotional and thought provoking. I felt that I had learnt a lot about Tom by the end and thoroughly enjoyed sharing his journey of realisation.

So, I heard about this book on BBC Radio Two. The premise of it attracted me. People living for perhaps a millennium! Not a new idea (read the bible for long lived individuals) but all the same fascinating. The central character, a man born in the middle ages who falls in love, but doesn't seemingly age once he has reached adulthood. He falls in love and, as they say the course of love is never... Obviously he outlives his wife and he live his life through different times, having to move every so often as people are on the verge of realising he isn't ageing. He gets in scrapes, meets historical characters along the way and becomes involved in a secret society that aids people like him. But there, not all is as it seems. He has a daughter and she is also an Alba (long lived person, named after the albatross) and he wants to find her. Anyway, enough of the story. Except to say it's the story here that captures your interest. You do become involved in the plot and the central character and there's certainly a pull for the reader to discover the eventual outcome. It is, indeed, a good read. But is it perfect? Not really. There are a number of areas I would point to there. As our intrepid hero lives through the centuries, he meets historical characters, fairly improbably I thought sometimes. I have to say it reminded me a bit of Forest Gump meeting the presidents. The storyline jumps from the present to previous centuries too. Probably a necessary tool to tell this story, but at each jump, there's the risk of losing the reader's interest and having to engage again. The story, at times descends in to reflective mode and interest can wane there too. But I didn't find this terminal. Actually, in perspective, I think I'm nit-picking about what I found to be in the end, a good, engaging book. Freddie Mercury once sang "Who Wants To Live Forever?" No doubt whilst painfully aware of his own mortality. Who was he kidding? Despite the problems illustrated in this book, I'd give it a go. As, indeed, you should give reading this book a go.

Fascinating and beautifully written, like all of Matt Haig’s novels. It’s uplifting, insightful, and thought-provoking. A truly interesting and inspiring read. I highly recommend it.

This is a lovely story, beautifully written, a literary novel that is an easy read, not always easy to come by. I suspect that Matt Haig may have been inspired by old episodes of Dr Who, the David Tennant and Billie Piper era. Haig tells the story of Tom Hazard, seemingly in his early forties. In fact Tom is an Alba, someone who lives for centuries. There are hundreds of them secretly living among the rest of us. Albas have to change identities every seven years so that normal mortals don't realise that they aren't aging. This is something that has proved problematic over time, especially when people believed in witchcraft. In the present day Tom has a job as a history teacher, perfect for him as his memories really bring the subject to life. His new lives are arranged by the head of an Alba organisation, a sinister and controlling figure who demands obedience. Anybody who is likely to expose the Alba's secret is likely to be eliminated. The underlying theme to this story is love. Tom meets and falls in love with Rose, a feisty seller of roses and he loves her for centuries, long after she has passed away. Tom and Rose had a daughter, Marion, who Tom hasn't seen for a very long time. He is desperate for news of her. The story is really quite heartbreaking in places. The jazz age, the Edwardian era, Shakespeare, all of these elements bring the story to life but it is the characters human connection and love for each other that really makes this such a life-affirming read.

Well out together story with interesting twists and development, I enjoyed it. An easy read for a lazy weekend. Recommend

As an initial disclaimer - I gave up on this book at around the half way point. I know many people think this means I shouldn't write a review - and maybe they're right - but I think the fact that this hadn't engaged me by the half way point says something. Parts I liked: First - the good stuff. The historical sections were really interesting and opened up worlds I didn't know about; the part about the witch hunts and his mother were especially haunting and engaging. The premise is interesting and novel, almost like time-travel but without the narrative problems often encountered in time travel stories. It's an effective but simple concept that really makes you want to read it to find out what happens. Some of the writing is very beautiful and touching and there were parts which genuinely moved me - I found the part towards the beginning where Rose dies really heartbreaking. The not so much parts: Despite the good points, I often found it a chore to read. I can't really put my finger on exactly why - I just didn't really care about most of the characters (aside from what I've mentioned above). The main character in particular is exceptionally whiny. The premise is a good one but I don't think it has been executed in a very engaging way. I find with Matt Haig's writing I am often very aware of the authorial voice, which slips into ponderous/pretentious at numerous points. He is determined to tell the reader how to approach life, and he does this in quite a clunky way. Some of the lines are clearly meant to be breathtaking "oh I never thought of it like that" type lines, but I think this just takes the reader out of the story. All these added up to me giving up on the book - not really deliberately, but I just picked it up more and more infrequently and found it a chore whenever I did so, until eventually I just stopped picking it up. I like Matt Haig and I like some of his other books (in particular "Reasons to Stay Alive" which is wonderful). This just didn't do it for me, sorry.

Tender and true, a truly unique book, this is one of the finest insights to the human condition you will ever read. It is love story, reflection on life and the living of it, thriller and family saga, all in one. The characters leap off the page - even the emotionally damaged dog - and the central character. Tom Hazard, is someone who will live in the memory for a long time. For Tom was born 439 years ago, having a condition that means he ages very slowly. He has to change his identity and home every eight years so no-one recognises that he is not ageing and changing like everyone around him and that he is special, different, unusual; a lonely, long and detached life that is destroying his soul. So he decides to stop the madness, and be ordinary. He becomes a role he is best suited for - a history teacher. But in Tower Hamlets, where he meets a French teacher and life becomes even more complex. This is a book you want to read quickly because it is so gripping and absorbing, yet delicate, moving, delightful....but also a book you want to read slowly because it is so heartfelt and populated with such true and human characters.The answer is to read on to the last page, go away for a quick blub....and then start again at the beginning. . This is Matt Haig;s gift. To bring the world to the individual, see the sublime in the sensible, the immortal in the everyday.Oh, this is such a wonderful book! Buy it, read it, learn wisdom, tell the world. I eagerly await the film to be made by SunnyMarch, and the insight and wisdom Benedict Cumberbatch will uniquely bring to this unique book as Tom.. ,

This is another great read from Matt Haig. Like both The Radleys and The Humans, this one features characters who are different in some way to ordinary people, allowing the author interesting perspectives from which to observe the human condition. It jumps between the present and the past (and there is a lot of it) in the life of Tom Hazard who has a rare (but not unique) condition which means that he ages very slowly after the age of 13. In the present, he is ideally suited to his role as a History teacher, but it isn't easy not to age when those around you are getting older. The story jumps around the centuries and we meet some interesting historical figures along the way. There is also a sense of mystery about Hendrich who enables Tom to cover his tracks as time moves on. Above all though, the plot is a vehicle for an exploration of the human experience of living through time and how our thoughts about past and future can affect the present. It's highly entertaining at times, but heart-achingly poignant too. It is an fantastic read; the premise for this novel is highly inventive and the author has produced a really thought-provoking novel. This is a page-turner, although I think one that will merit rereading too. Thoroughly recommended.