How to Stop Time, Matt Haig

For the first book I’ve finished in 2018, I am glad that it was this one. I had read so many positive comments for this book that I knew I had to read it. And I am so glad that I did.

Matt Haig has managed to weave an ingenious story that transcends centuries with one central character. How he managed to dream up this idea is beyond me, but, my goodness, it works. I was sceptical at first, but as I became more invested in the protagonist, I couldn’t read fast enough. Tom Hazard is an extremely likeable character; one with high morals and deeply thoughtful. The premise is fantastic, yet also believable at the same time, which I think is a marvellous feat to achieve.

There are many standout moments, and dozens of quotes I could use – as Haig himself states in the acknowledgments, it’s almost like therapy. Still reeling from a traumatic year personally, as a reader I connected with a lot of the sentiment expressed in this book. I hope Matt doesn’t mind if I use a small quote to demonstrate;

When you die the last thing you want is for your death to leak out and infect those left behind, for those loved ones to become a kind of living dead.

This just resonated with me, and will stay with me for a long while. I’m sure that this, and many other sentiments expressed in the book will connect to the majority of readers, and that, for me, makes this book very special indeed. I would urge anyone who hasn’t read this book to go out and get it right now.

I am so pleased to have found Matt Haig and his writing, and I shall purposefully go and purchase his other work, and wait eagerly for new offerings. I also look forward to the forthcoming film adaptation of this book, but there’s nothing like reading.

How to Stop Time is published by Canongate, and is available in all good independent bookshops.