How to Stop Time

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Manufacturer: Matt Haig
Brand: Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction
Brew: Paperback
Steeping Time: 325 pages
Tea Service: Tea and Book Box
Strength:

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.

Sometimes you pick up a book and know it is going to wreck you.

I thought that would be the case with How to Stop Time, but instead, I was treated to a beautiful story about love, hope, and family that spans the ages. Time, or the crushing feel of the lack of it, is something we all have in common. At some point or another, or fairly often if you’re like me, everyone wishes they had more time. One more day off before going back to work, one more hour to study, one more week of summer, one more year to chase your dream. One more day with a loved one who is gone. If we could stop time, I’m sure most of us would. But would you take the option of living for hundreds of years?

I love a story that makes me ask myself these types of big questions.

Throughout How to Stop Time, we jump back and forth between Tom’s present-day existence and his long, long past. I like this style of storytelling. It keeps the pace moving at a swift clip and cleverly unfolds Tom’s entire story leading up to where he is today. However, I struggled for the first few chapters to adjust to the tense changes, as the present-day chapters are written in first person present tense, and the flashback chapters are written in first person past tense. I usually have a hard time adjusting to present tense as it is, and that took a little longer with the constant switch. By a quarter of the way in, though, I didn’t notice it at all.

Most of the chapters are rather short, and they consistently alternate (at least, as much as I remember) between past and present. The upside of the shorter chapters is that it is really easy to say, ‘just one more chapter.’ They read very quickly and the bite-size form makes the book perfectly suited for easy consumption. But the downside is that every chapter feels like a good stopping point. I’d find myself reading only a chapter or two at a time, then putting the book down and walking away. I took far longer to read How to Stop Time than I usually would for a book this size, and this was partly the reason.

The other reason is because I was dreading getting my heart broken.

I was in a prolonging phase where I kept putting off reading because I didn’t want to get to the part where I shattered and sobbed for hours. So instead, I’d read my one or two chapters a day and nothing more. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to dive in and read at my usual pace. Because I spread it out so much, I feel like I lost the story’s intensity, and by the end, which did not tear me into a thousand pieces, I don’t think I felt the climax as much as I should have.

It’s hard to explain, but when I finished the book, I simply put it down and thought, “Yes. Good. That was a good book. I liked that ending.” And then I moved on to another read. How to Stop Time didn’t sit with me the way I expected it to, and I’m pretty sure that was my own doing.

So, take my advice. Dive in. Head first.

The story is beautiful and the characters are raw and genuine. Tom is easy to relate to, and I felt so deeply for his situation. The isolation, fear, and longing are palpable throughout his journey. We may not experience those emotions on the same level as someone who has lived for 400 years, but we’ve all felt alone.

I’ve never been one to want to live forever. Do I want more time? Absolutely. Do I want to outlive everyone I’ll ever care about? No. I don’t think I could bear it. But what if there was a sort of middle ground? Read How to Stop Time and let me know if you could find happiness in Tom’s situation at the end of the book.

If you enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, I think you’ll also like How to Stop Time. Honestly, I’d recommend this book to all types of readers. Time, and just how precious it is, is such a huge concept in this book. Knowing the worth of every minute, I think it’s worth devoting the time to read this beautiful story.

Have you read How to Stop Time? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia