I thought this book was so amazingly good when I borrowed it from the library in 2018 that I had to buy my own copy! So this was a re-read, which confirmed my opinion. I’m not sure what genre it is – written in a contemporary style, but partly historical fiction with a fantasy element – and it doesn’t matter. All I know is that this book is brilliant.
The narrator is Tom Hazard, who in the present day is a 41-year-old history teacher at a London secondary school. However, he’s hundreds of years old. He met Shakespeare and Captain Cook and Samuel Johnson and the Fitzgeralds. He has a very rare condition which means he ages a lot slower than usual. The problem with living so long is that you always end up moving on when people get suspicious. And you certainly can’t become attached to anyone as it only causes heartbreak. Tom is falling in love with a colleague and he still hasn’t found his daughter, who inherited his condition. At the same time, his boss (who is the head of the society of these very long-lived people) is pressuring him into tracking down those who are drawing too much attention to themselves.
This book has everything you could want in a story. A good plot, distinctive characters, vivid settings, wry humour, neat observations and a bit of philosophy. Ironically, given the title, a surprising amount of time passes while you’re compulsively turning the pages.
First published in 2017.
Brilliant review! I love Matt Haig’s books and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed How to Stop Time!
Thanks very much! 🙂 I haven’t read any of his others – I’m not sure the concepts appeal to me, but perhaps I will in the future.
hehe I didn’t feel time passing while I read this, though it obvs did 😉 really enjoyed this one too. Great review!
I’m glad you enjoyed this book! Thank you 🙂
So glad you reviewed this book. My lit course is doing The Midnight Library in June, and I’ve been feeling conflicted about reading it, although I’m not sure why. I’m going to pick this book up. Thanks. Loved your review.
Wow, thank you! 🙂 I haven’t read The Midnight Library – I know a lot of readers loved it but somehow it doesn’t appeal to me (I’m very picky!) I really hope you enjoy How To Stop Time. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Wow! This has gone straight onto my wish list. Buying a book after reading a borrowed copy is the best possible recommendation.
I hope you enjoy if you read it 🙂 Buying a book because I loved the library book has happened very rarely to me! I really needed my own copy.
I see that my library has The Humans and The Midnight Library, so I’ll start with one of them.
Ethan Frome was the last time I rushed out to buy a book I’d borrowed.
This sounds fantastic! I’m hearing so many great things about this author, but am yet to read anything by him. I’m definitely adding this to my list 😊 great review as always!
I really hope you like it! Thanks 🙂
Sounds like fun!
It’s a fantastic read 😀